SYDNEY (Kashmir English): Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood will miss start of the T20 World Cup as he recovers from hamstring and Achilles injuries.
In another setback for Australia, the 35-year-old will remain in Sydney to continue his recovery. It is to mention that he missed the entire Ashes series against England and has not played any cricket since November. Sean Abbott has been called up as a travelling reserve.
“We felt with Josh it was more practical and beneficial for him to continue his rehabilitation at home in a familiar environment before travelling to Sri Lanka,” selector Tony Dodemaide said in a statement late Monday. No timeframe for his return has been given.
“Sean is an accomplished and versatile international player who has experienced numerous World Cup campaigns. It made sense for him to stay with the group following the Pakistan tour,” Dodemaide added.
Days before the start of the global mega event, Pakistan thumped Australia 3-0 in a warm-up series and they are also winless in their past five T20s.
Test skipper Pat Cummins has also been ruled out of the entire tournament in India and Sri Lanka beginning on February 7 (Saturday).
Star paceman Cummins was hoping to recover slowly from a lower back injury, but ran out of time, with Ben Dwarshuis replacing him.
Fast bowler Nathan Ellis, along with big-hitters Glenn Maxwell and Tim David, are due to join the touring party on Tuesday after missing the Pakistan series.
Group B of T20 World Cup
Australia has been placed in Group B and all their matches will be played in Sri Lanka.
They open against Ireland in Colombo on February 11 and will also face the co-hosts Sri Lanka, Oman, and Zimbabwe.
