Josh Hazlewood, the star speedster, was taken for scans on Tuesday, December 17, during the opening session of Day 4 of the Brisbane Test, leaving Australian players and supporters speechless.
On Tuesday, Mitchell Starc was replaced in the attack by Hazlewood, who bowled the 27th over. Before Mitchell Marsh took his place, the right-arm seamer let up five runs in the over. According to an Australian team representative, he was experiencing “calf awareness” and will be sent for scans as quickly as possible to determine the full nature of the damage. It is quite unlikely that Hazlewood will play the rest of the third Test match at the historic Gabba after the regrettable turn of events.
Hazlewood appeared cautious when he was handed the ball on Tuesday morning after consulting with head coach Andrew McDonald and the medical staff before to the game. At a speed of only 128 kph, his initial delivery was notably wide and short.
At the drinks break that followed the solitary over, Josh Hazlewood spoke with skipper Pat Cummins, vice-captain Steve Smith, and physiotherapist Nick Jones.
Australia had claimed Hazlewood was fit to play in the Brizzie after he missed the Adelaide Test because of a side issue. On a rain-soaked Day 3, he bowled five overs without seeming to be in any pain, even taking Virat Kohli’s valuable scalp.
On the fourth day, though, he was limited to bowling one more over before he had to leave the pitch. During the drinks break, Nathan Lyon told Fox Cricket that Hazlewood’s team “was all good,” although he emphasised that he hadn’t spoken to him about it.
Australia is about to overwhelm India in the third Test.
In the opening session of Day 4, Team India lost the wickets of KL Rahul and skipper Rohit Sharma. Even though Hazlewood is not playing, Australia still has enough runs to challenge India head-to-head. To keep the foreigners from catching up, it will be up to Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravindra Jadeja, who are both all-rounders, to get them over the 245-run threshold.
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