Seasoned pacer Josh Hazlewood will miss Australia’s upcoming T20I series against Scotland due to a calf strain that he sustained during training last week.
The 33-year-old suffered a minor injury, and is expected to be available for Australia’s white-ball tour of England, which will kick off on September 11, per ESPNcricinfo report.
Hazlewood’s latest setback opened a window of opportunity for Riley Meredith to make a return after three years of absence.
Meredith last represented Australia in 2021 against the West Indies. He was involved with Somerset in white-ball cricket during the English season. In the T20 Blast, Meredith scythed 14 wickets at 22.78, and in three one-day cup games, the Australia pacer bagged six scalps.
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Overall, in T20Is, he has eight wickets to his name in five matches after playing against the West Indies and New Zealand three years ago.
Initially, Hazlewood was the sole pacer out of the three mainstays to feature in the T20I series against Scotland. Pat Cummins is missing the entire tour, while Mitchell Starc has been named in the squad for the ODI series against England.
“The priority at the moment is to smash out some gym work and start reassessing in a few weeks a path forward. I’m just trying to fill up the bucket again after two years of non-stop bowling. [Hoping] come to that first Test [against India] in as good of a position as I have been in for a few years,” Cummins said earlier, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
Before Australia’s tour of the UK, Hazlewood became the second quick to get ruled out of the T20I series against Scotland.
Last week, Spencer Johnson was ruled out of the entire tour after he sustained an injury in the Hundred while representing the Oval Invincibles.
Australia has a completely revamped pace bowling attack, which will now feature Meredith, Xavier Bartlett, Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis. The designated pacers will be backed by all-rounders Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Marcus Stoinis and potentially captain Mitchell Marsh.
Experienced spinner Adam Zampa and uncapped youngster Cooper Connolly will make up Australia’s spin department.
The first T20I of the three-match series will be played on September 4 in Edinburgh.
Australia T20I squad for the series against Scotland: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Riley Meredith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
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(With inputs from ANI)
