Hazlewood might miss rest of the series due to calf strain as he hobbled off the pitch after bowling just one over.
Hazlewood might see his Border-Gavaskar series come to an end after it emerged that he has suffered a calf strain. The pacer just bowled a solitary over on the fourth day of the test match and was seen walking off with discomfort.
After missing Adelaide due to a side strain, Hazlewood made a comeback in this game. He was slow to get on the field Tuesday after spending time with head coach Andrew McDonald and physio Nick Jones. He appeared exhausted when he entered the attack, barely reaching 131 kph, including a wide long hop first ball that was cut away by KL Rahul.
Before leaving the pitch. Hazlewood participated in a lengthy talk with Cummins, Smith, and the physio during the drinks break that followed that over.
Cricket Australia initially said he had “calf awareness” and he went for scans which confirmed the severity of the injury
“He’s pretty despondent,” Daniel Vettori, Australia’s assistant coach, said. “Felt it this morning in warm-ups, gave it a good crack. It’s just unfortunate for him to come back, put so much effort after another injury with the side strain. Then to pick up a calf strain here, particularly in these circumstances is really tough on him.”
With Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc playing important roles without Hazlewood. Australia attempted to force a victory between repeated rain delays in Brisbane. India’s last-wicket stand between Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep prevented them from enforcing the follow-on.
Vettori said that even though he was a bowler down, that option would have been chosen. He added that there was no worry about the number of overs coming into Starc and Cummins because of Adelaide’s shorter workload and frequent rain breaks.
Hazlewood’s next Test match might be in Sri Lanka starting in late January. But if Australia packs their lineup with spinners, he might be surplus to requirements. The World Test Championship final may then take place in early June if Australia advances. It is followed by a three-match tour of the West Indies that is anticipated to begin later that month.