Josh Hazlewood given the all-clear from fitness concerns however Abbott ruled out of Ashes Test

Josh Hazlewood cricket action

The bowler has claimed 295 wickets with an average of 24.21 during his 76-Test career

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The green light was given to Hazlewood to become part of Australia's squad for the initial Test against England following fitness concerns, however, teammate Abbott is unavailable

Each encountered hamstring issues while representing NSW in the Victoria clash in the Sheffield Shield this past Wednesday

Tests indicated Hazlewood, 34 escaped tissue injury. The 33-year-old Abbott, yet to debut, has a "moderate grade" injury

Skipper Pat Cummins will miss the first Test, beginning on 21 November, meaning the absence of another established pace bowler such as Hazlewood could have proven a significant setback

Abbott was not expected to participate during the Western Australia Test, while Hazlewood will combine Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland as the specialist seamers

Cummins, currently healing from a back injury, is thought to be likely to comeback during the next Test in Brisbane starting on 4 December

Batter Steve Smith takes over leadership while Cummins is out

Similar to most the Australia players, Hazlewood is involved in recent matches of state games ahead of the Ashes

Until this match, he hadn't featured domestic first-class games representing NSW since last season

He noticed discomfort in his leg muscle during the final stages of the match recently exiting the play as a precaution

Neither Hazlewood nor Abbott batted in the follow-on innings as they lost in a substantial margin

"There's seven days until the Test matches - typically prefer being cautious," commented Cummins

"The medical staff sought to identify the exact situation prior to testing it and potentially making the condition"

"He seldom shows him upbeat, so it was good to witness his smile"

"He understands his physique extremely well. I think he was somewhat concerned (and) wanted to get professional evaluation"

The bowler collected 57 international selections for Australia in white-ball cricket

The uncapped Doggett represents additional pace options among the selections, acting as backup for the primary fast bowlers

Jill Wright
Jill Wright

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