Josh Hazlewood will be missing the T20I series against Scotland after sustaining a calf strain during training last week. Riley Meredith has been brought in as a replacement for the injured pacer.
Hazlewood’s injury is explained as minor and he is expected to return for the T20I and ODI against England later in September. But the selectors may take a cautious approach as Australia has a busy home summer which includes five tests against India.
Riley Meredith is in line to make an international return following a three-year absence after Josh Hazlewood suffered a minor calf injury #SCOvAUS #ENGvAUS https://t.co/pXvCHIlkLf
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) August 24, 2024
Meredith has been played for Somerset in White-ball cricket during England’s season. He took 14 wickets at 22.78 in the T20 Blast and six wickets in three one-day cup games, including 4 for 27 against Middlesex at Lord’s. he has taken eight T20I wickets having played against New Zealand and West Indies three years ago.
Hazlewood will be the second bowler ruled out of the squad after Spencer Johnson picked up a side Strain playing in The Hundred 2024. Meredith, Xavier Bartlett, Sean Abbott, and Nathan Ellis will be leading Australia’s pace attack for the Scotland tour.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Marsh, Adam Zampa and the uncapped Cooper Connolly will provide the spin assistance during the tour. Hazlewood has been one of Australia’s big three names who was named in the Australia squad for the tour. Mitchell Starc will feature in the ODIs while Cummins will be missing the entire trip to focus on workload management ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy against India.
“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 to that first Test [against India] in as good of a position as I have been in for a few years.”
With the first T20I match of the Scotland tour set to begin on September 04 at The Grange Club, the Australia squad will depart for Scotland on August 26.
