Australia’s bowling attack has suffered a significant blow in the ongoing Gabba Test, with Josh Hazlewood suffering calf pain ahead of the fourth day’s play.
Hazlewood managed to bowl just one before leaving the field, leaving the Australian team with a potential gap in their bowling resources.
Hi’s discomfort was evident from the start of the day’s game.
Arriving late to the field, the fast bowler struggled to find his rhythm, with his first ball – a long, wide bounce – being clipped by KL Rahul.
He only threw one, barely reaching speeds above 80 mph (131 km/h), before he was seen leaving the field.
During a drinks break that followed his brief period, Hazlewood was seen in a lengthy discussion with captain Pat Cummins, Steven Smith and team physio Nick Jones.
It was during this meeting that Hazlewood left the field, and Cricket Australia (CA) later confirmed that the player reported calf pain during the morning warm-up.
“Josh Hazlewood reported calf awareness in this morning’s warm-up,” said a CA spokesperson. “He will be taken for tests to assess the injury.”
With rain delays already threatening Australia’s chances of victory, the team may now have to rely on just Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon to bowl the majority of the overs.
Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne could be called upon to provide support, but the loss of Hazlewood could put additional pressure on the Cummins and Starc duo.
Australia’s best route to victory now appears to be to force the run on, although that could further strain the bowlers’ workload if Hazlewood remains absent.
The 32-year-old had just returned to the team for this Test after being sidelined with a side strain in Adelaide, making this latest injury even more frustrating.
If his injury is significant, it could pave the way for Scott Boland to join the Australian squad for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Boland, who made an impressive debut in 2021-22, taking 6 wickets for 7 runs against England, is seen as a valuable back-up option should Hazlewood’s recovery take longer than expected.
Pat Cummins had previously hinted at Boland’s potential involvement in the series, noting: “It’s about preparation for the MCG because there’s a good chance we’ll need you.”
The right-arm pacer has already dealt with calf problems earlier in the year, which saw him miss the T20I series against Scotland and England.
The fast bowler expressed his frustration over the side injury earlier this year, noting the repetitive nature of the problem.
Despite ideal preparation for the Test series, Hazlewood was still sidelined due to the problem.
“It’s not necessarily a typical side strain, which I’ve had a few in my career,” he said.
“You’re running to the bowl and you just grab your hat and go and you’re out for six weeks. It’s not that kind of side strain. It’s kind of repetitive use. It’s caused me a lot of problems in the last few years, but (I’ve had) perfect preparation this year, I played the Shield game and scored all of that.
“I was very happy where I was and it still happened. So I was very angry there for a few days. There were a lot of meetings from the CA’s point of view (with) physical therapists, doctors, all that stuff. So, come up with a few options and see if we can prevent this from happening again.”
