- By Vishal Pushkar
- Sat, 15 Nov 2025 02:37 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Ashes 2025: Australian bowling mainstay Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the first Ashes test against England scheduled to take place in Perth next Friday, due to a hamstring injury. Cricket Australia on Saturday announced that the initial scans have cleared of any major damage whatsoever. Notably, Hazlewood became the second bowler after captain Pat Cummins, to get forced out of the Perth Test due to injury.
It is worth noting that Hazlewood suffered the injury on Wednesday as he featured in a Sheffield Shield domestic first-class match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The 31-year-old Brendan Doggett is likely to make his Ashes Test debut.
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Hazlewood will not travel with his teammates to Perth as he is likely to head back home. It is also uncertain if he will be healthy enough to participate in the five-test series.
This means the home team will begin the prominent series without their two top-ranked test bowlers, with Cummins and Hazlewood positioned fourth and sixth in the international test rankings.
It will mark the first time in nearly three years that Australia has played a test without two of their top three fast bowlers and only the second time since 2014 they've played a home test without Cummins and Hazlewood.
“Initial scans Wednesday were clear of muscle strain, however follow-up imaging today has confirmed the injury,” a CA statement on Saturday said. “Early imaging can occasionally underestimate low-grade muscle injuries.”
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The bad news on Hazlewood came on the same day that England announced some good news — fast bowler Mark Wood has been cleared of a hamstring injury and could play in the first test in Perth.
Inputs from Agency