Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has featured in only four Tests since December 2021 due to a side strain.
Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has recovered in time to find a place in Australia’s squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) final 2023. Hazlewood left for Australia before his team Royal Challenger Bangalore’s must-win IPL 2023 encounter against Gujarat Titans. The pacer was suffering from side soreness.
He now finds himself in the WTC final squad alongside other pacers — Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland.
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Hazlewood has been struggling with injury issues for a while. He has featured in only four Tests since December 2021 due to a side strain. He was also late to join RCB camp for IPL 2023 as a result of an Achilles injury.
In 59 Tests so far, the right-arm pacer has taken 222 wickets.
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In the three IPL 2023 matches, Hazlewood bowled nine overs and managed a best of 3/76.
His inclusion means Australia don’t require the services of all-rounders Michael Neser or Sean Abbott who were expected to replace Hazlewood in the squad if the pacer fails to get fit in time.
Australia squad for WTC final:
Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner
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Hazlewood had picked up an injury during the first Test between Australia and West Indies, and would go on to miss the next three matches, including the first two Tests against South Africa
Josh Hazlewood will miss the first India vs Australia Test, which will be played in Nagpur, due to a left Achilles niggle
The Oval will host the WTC Final between India and Australia and both teams do not boast a proud record on the ground.