Josh Hazlewood Archives

Australia suffer setback as Josh Hazlewood ruled out of T20 World Cup

Australia’s preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 have suffered a significant blow, with experienced fast bowler Josh Hazlewood officially ruled out of the tournament just days before their campaign begins.

The development comes only five days ahead of Australia’s opening fixture against Ireland, further complicating the team’s build-up to the global event.

Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed Hazlewood’s withdrawal, stating that a final decision regarding his replacement will be announced in due course.

His absence adds to Australia’s growing injury concerns, particularly after Pat Cummins was also sidelined earlier, leaving a noticeable gap in the team’s pace attack.

Hazlewood’s unavailability is a major setback considering the form he carried into 2026.

The right-arm pacer enjoyed an impressive 2025 season, playing a pivotal role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Indian Premier League (IPL) title-winning campaign and delivering strong performances in the T20I series against South Africa, New Zealand and India.

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Over the year, he picked up 12 wickets at an average of 16.58, maintaining an economy rate of 7.37, while proving especially effective in the powerplay with eight wickets at an economy of 6.72.

Among his standout performances were match-defining spells of 3 for 27 against South Africa in Darwin and 3 for 13 against India in Melbourne, underlining his value in high-pressure situations.

However, injuries have plagued Hazlewood’s recent months. He initially sustained a hamstring strain during the final Sheffield Shield match leading up to the Ashes and later encountered Achilles tendon issues during his recovery.

Despite aiming to regain full fitness in time for the T20 World Cup, Cricket Australia revealed that the latest medical evaluations indicated he was still not ready for competitive cricket.

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Cummins, Hazlewood likely to miss Pakistan T20I series

SYDNEY: Australia’s ace pacers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are likely to miss the three-match T20I series against Pakistan ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Although the ace duo is included in the World Cup squad, the fitness of both bowlers has raised doubts over their participation.

Cummins has made one appearance in the third Ashes Test after recovering from a back injury, while Hazlewood, who was ruled out of the Ashes after the opening match, is recovering from an Achilles injury.

Australia’s chair of selectors, George Bailey expressed confidence over Hazlewood and Tim David’s fitness ahead of the mega event.

“I don’t think they [Cummins and Hazlewood] will be available for the Pakistan series [three T20Is in January], but I think both should be online [for the World Cup],” Bailey told reporters at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

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He shed light on Pat Cummins and stated that the latter could play in the second half of the World Cup just like Travis Head did in the ODI World Cup during 2023.

“Patty might be a bit later; that might be a similar sort of situation to Travis Head in the 50-over World Cup, where there’s an entry point at some point.

Hopefully, we can manage and carry a squad until that point. I think Hoff [Hazlewood] should be right by the start, think Tim David should be right by the start,” he said.

He also revealed that the Big Bash League (BBL) players will also come into consideration for the inclusion in the squad for the Pakistan series.

Australia squad for T20 World Cup 2026

Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

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Australia quick Josh Hazlewood ruled out of Ashes after injury setback

Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was on Tuesday ruled out of the rest of the Ashes 2025 against England following an injury setback.

Coach Andrew McDonald told reporters that Hazlewood, who missed the first two Tests, had suffered problems in recovering from hamstring and Achilles injuries and would sit out the remaining three matches.

“Really flat for him. A couple of setbacks that we didn’t see coming,” McDonald said. “We thought he’d play a huge part in the series. But really feel for him that he won’t get that opportunity.”

Josh Hazlewood will now aim to be fully fit for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka, which begins in February.

Fellow fast bowler Pat Cummins looks certain to return as captain when Australia look to wrap up the series in next week’s third Test in Adelaide.

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The 32-year-old Cummins has been sidelined since the tour to the West Indies in July with a lower back injury.

McDonald said that Cummins had come through a match-like workload in training last week and was ready to play.

“This is something we’ve done with Pat before with longish layoffs, where we’ve put some time and effort into rebuilding his body,” said McDonald.

“He simulated pretty much what a match will look like out there with multiple spells. So we feel as though he’ll be as best prepared as can be.”

Mitchell Starc, who leads the bowling charts with 18 wickets in the first two Tests, had battled a left side niggle at the Gabba but would be fit for Adelaide, said McDonald.

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Josh Hazlewood back bowling in big Ashes boost for Australia

Injured pace spearheads Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins bowled in the nets on Tuesday in a major boost for Australia ahead of the day-night second Ashes Test against England next week.

Hazlewood had not been seen since tweaking his hamstring in a Sheffield Shield clash six days before the opening Test in Perth.

He missed that extraordinary game, which Australia won inside two days by eight wickets on Saturday, with Brendan Doggett taking his place.

Skipper Cummins was also absent with a lingering lower back injury, replaced by Scott Boland.

Local media posted pictures of both men training at Cricket NSW headquarters in Sydney during New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania.

The choice of balls they used was telling, with Cummins steaming in with a pink ball and Hazlewood more reserved with a red one.

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While Hazlewood remains a major doubt for the Brisbane Test on December 4, Cummins said over the weekend he was “half a chance” after an impressive stint in the nets in Perth.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald told reporters no decisions would be made until closer to match day.

“I know that he’ll be available at some point during the series,” McDonald said of Hazlewood.

“We’ve got a little bit of that early rehab to go through to formulate where he may plug into the series, but we expect him to take some part in the series.”

He was more upbeat about Cummins.

“There’s a lot of positives, but now it’s just really building that resilience within the soft tissue and making sure that we’re not putting him in harm’s way in terms of accelerating it too much,” he said.

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Australia pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood ruled out of first Ashes Test

Australia was dealt a huge blow Saturday with pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood ruled out of the first Ashes Test against England with a hamstring strain, joining Pat Cummins on the sidelines.

Hazlewood tweaked his hamstring during New South Wales’s Sheffield Shield clash with Victoria during the week.

He was initially given the all-clear after a scan, but repeat imaging confirmed the strain.

“Initial scans on Wednesday were clear of muscle strain; however, follow-up imaging today has confirmed the injury,” Cricket Australia said.

“As a result, Hazlewood will not travel to Perth and has been ruled out of the first Ashes Test match.”

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It is a massive setback for the hosts just days out from the opening Test in Perth on November 21, with fellow quick Cummins also missing the match.

Australian captain Cummins has not played since picking up a lower back injury against the West Indies more than three months ago.

He is targeting a return for the second Test in Brisbane in December.

Reserve fast bowler Sean Abbott is also an injury casualty, with Michael Neser, who has played two Tests, called up on Saturday as cover.

With Hazlewood and Cummins both absent, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland will lead the attack against England, with Brendan Doggett looking likely to make his debut.

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Australia face double injury scare ahead of first Ashes Test

Australia suffered a double injury scare on Wednesday ahead of the first Ashes Test against England, with pacemen Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott both undergoing assessments, reportedly for hamstring issues.

Test spearhead Hazlewood and reserve quick Abbott both left the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) during New South Wales’s Sheffield Shield clash with Victoria.

Media reports said they were being assessed for hamstring niggles, although neither Cricket Australia nor Cricket NSW confirmed the specifics of the injury concerns.

Australia are already without injured captain Pat Cummins for at least the opening Test in Perth next week, and losing Hazlewood would be a serious blow.

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Scott Boland is set to replace Cummins in the attack, which also contains left-armer Mitchell Starc.

Abbott, who took 4-18 against Victoria before leaving the field, was named in Australia’s 15-man squad for Perth as a replacement quick, with uncapped Brendon Doggett the other pace option.

Following Perth, the five-Test series moves to Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

England drew 2-2 on home turf in the most recent Ashes series in 2023, but have not won in Australia since 2010-2011.

Australia squad for first Ashes Test

Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

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Josh Hazlewood responds to Mitchell Johnson’s IPL criticism

Australian veteran pacer Josh Hazlewood has reacted to former speedster Mitchell Johnson’s comments about prioritizing the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Following the conclusion of the WTC final, Mitchell Johnson launched a scathing attack on Hazlewood, criticizing the pacer’s fitness and his decision to participate in the IPL, which was temporarily suspended for a week due to rising India-Pakistan tensions.

“We’ve seen concerns about Hazlewood’s fitness in recent years, and his decision to prioritise returning to the delayed Indian Premier League over his national team preparations raised eyebrows,” Mitchell Johnson remarked.

Now, the veteran pacer has replied to Johnson’s comments, noting that the IPL was the best preparatory ground for the WTC final.

“I haven’t seen any of that, to be honest,” Josh Hazlewood said when asked about Mitchell Johnson’s criticism.

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“We know what’s going on inside our rooms. It seemed far and away the best place to get ready for any type of cricket that was coming up. The weather was definitely a factor as well. Just getting over there and playing intense competition like that, it’s hard to replicate in training,” he added.

Josh Hazlewood further emphasized the weather in Australia while stating that India was the best place to bowl under the circumstances.

“Sydney, it was raining and I had literally nowhere to bowl. I got to Brisbane for three or four days and it was very wet. We were lucky to get on. I just thought the best place to bowl was India,” he said.

“We were still in the competition, we were going to play semis, and I was going to be there for 10 days. I think it was comfortably the best option,” the right-arm pacer concluded.

For context, South Africa defeated Australia by five wickets in the WTC final, clinching their maiden title.

The defending champions’ bowling quartet could not rise to the occasion in the second essay while defending a 282-run target.

Josh Hazlewood, who was pivotal in the Royal Challengers Bangalore maiden IPL triumph, could only manage to claim two scalps in the all-important WTC final.

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Former cricketer slams Josh Hazlewood for prioritising IPL over WTC final

Former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson has launched a scathing attack on fast bowler Josh Hazlewood for returning to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 just before the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Josh Hazlewood, returned to the resumed IPL after recovering from a shoulder niggle during the final phase of the tournament and helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in clinching their maiden title in 18 years.

IPL 2025 was suspended for a week during the border tensions between India and Pakistan.

The pacer was instrumental in RCB’s maiden title, taking 22 wickets from just 12 matches.

Now, Johnson raised doubts over Hazlewood’s fitness, stating that his decision to prefer the IPL has sparked speculation.

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“We have seen concerns about Hazlewood’s fitness in recent years, and his decision to prioritise returning to the delayed Indian Premier League over his national team preparations raised eyebrows. Lyon didn’t look his best on day three either,” Mitchell Johnson said.

The pacer also criticised Australia’s bowling quartet, noting that they are not an automatic selection in the team.

“Our successful ‘big four’ bowling attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon can’t be taken for granted as a lock going forward either,” Johnson said.

Mitchell Johnson highlighted the looming Ashes set to be played at the end of this year while questioning the rationale behind benching some of the in-form players.

“If veteran players are sticking around just for the Ashes as a send-off, it does beg the question of whether that’s the right mindset. It’s crucial that we embrace the future and build confidence in selecting our next Test players.

“Players on the fringe, such as Sam Konstas, Josh Inglis, and Scott Boland, despite being 36, have a different mentality. They’re eager to prove themselves every time they get a chance,” he concluded.

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Double blow for Australia as key fast bowlers ruled out of Champions Trophy 2025

Australia suffered a double blow ahead of the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 as captain Pat Cummins and star fast bowler Josh Hazlewood have been ruled out of the eight-team event.

“Australia will need to make four changes to their preliminary squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy with confirmation skipper Pat Cummins and fellow fast bowler Josh Hazlewood have been ruled out of the tournament,” Cricket Australia (CA) said in a statement.

The statement revealed that the Australian captain failed to recover from his ankle injury while Hazlewood was dealing with a hip issue that kept him out of part of the Test series against India.

“Cummins has not recovered from the ankle issue that plagued him towards the end of the recent Border Gavaskar Trophy Test series against India, while Hazlewood has developed a hip problem following earlier hip and calf strains,” the statement added.

“Both fast bowlers will require an extended period of rehabilitation before they receive the all-clear to return to play, which places a question mark over their involvement in the Indian Premier League which follows the Champions Trophy.”

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Earlier today, Australia suffered another blow to their preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as their star all-rounder Marcus Stoinis left fans shocked with his immediate retirement from the ODI format.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has already been ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury.

“Unfortunately Pat [Cummins], Josh [Hazlewood] and Mitch [Marsh] are managing some ongoing injuries and haven’t come up in time for the Champion’s Trophy,” national selection panel chair George Bailey said today.

“While disappointing, it does present a great opportunity for other players to perform for Australia in a world event.”

Australia preliminary squad for Champions Trophy: Pat Cummins (c), Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

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Australia face major setback as star player likely to miss remainder of India series

Australia pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood is likely to miss the rest of the Test series against India after injuring his right calf during his warm-up before play in Brisbane on Tuesday.

Hazlewood, who missed the second Test in Adelaide with a side strain, bowled just one over before leaving the field on the fourth day of the third Test at the Gabba.

With the series locked at 1-1 and the Test seemingly on course for a draw, the 33-year-old’s latest injury is a major blow to the hosts.

“Josh Hazlewood has sustained a right-sided calf strain which will prevent him from playing any further part in the Test match against India in Brisbane,” a Cricket Australia (CA) statement said.

“He sustained the injury during the warm-up this morning and after bowling one over was unable to continue.

“He is likely to miss the remainder of the Test series. A squad replacement will be made in due course.”

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Australia’s bowling coach Daniel Vettori said Hazlewood was despondent after suffering the injury.

“He felt it this morning in warm-ups and gave it a good crack,” Vettori said.

“It’s just unfortunate for him to come back, put so much effort in after another injury from the side strain in the last Test and to pick up a calf strain, particularly in these circumstances, was tough on him.

“He’s one of the best bowlers in the world and it obviously affects the whole team.”

The fourth Test begins in Melbourne on December 26 with the fifth and final Test in Sydney from January 3.

Vettori said that while he wasn’t a selector, the obvious choice to replace Josh Hazlewood in Melbourne was Scott Boland.

The 35-year-old Boland stepped in for Hazlewood in the pink-ball second Test, which Australia won by 10 wickets to level the series. Boland took five wickets in the match.

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