Melbourne: Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against Scotland due to a calf strain suffered during training last week.
Riley Meredith has been added to the squad for the three-match series. He last played for Australia in the format in 2021. However, Hazlewood’s injury is not that serious and he is expected to be available for the T20Is and ODIs against England later in September although the selectors may take a cautious approach ahead of a busy home summer which includes five Tests against India.
Meredith played white-ball cricket for Somerset during the English season, taking 14 wickets at an average of 22.78 in the T20 Blast. He also claimed six wickets in three one-day cup matches, including an impressive 4 for 27 against Middlesex at Lord’s, helping Somerset reach the final. Additionally, he has taken eight T20I wickets, having played against New Zealand and the West Indies three years ago.
After Spencer Johnson, Hazlewood is the second pacer to be ruled out of the series due to injury. Johnson sustained a side strain playing in the Hundred. He was replaced by Sean Abbott in the squad.
For the Scotland series, the pace attack will now include Meredith, Xavier Bartlett, Sean Abbott, and Nathan Ellis supported by allrounders Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, and Marcus Stoinis with captain Mitchell Marsh possibly contributing as well. Spin options will come from Adam Zampa and the uncapped Cooper Connolly.
Initially, Hazlewood was the only member of Australia’s big three fast bowlers named for the full UK tour. Mitchell Starc will participate in the ODIs against England, while Pat Cummins will skip the entire tour to focus on his strength and conditioning ahead of the home summer.
“The priority at the moment is to smash out some gym work and start reassessing in a few weeks a path forward,” Cummins said last week. “I’m just trying to fill up the bucket again after two years of non-stop bowling. (Hoping) come that first Test (against India) in as good of a position as I have been in for a few years.”
Australia will leave for Scotland on Monday. The opening match of the series will be played in Edinburgh on September 4. IANS
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