Scott Boland is being tipped to return to Australia‘s starting XI for their upcoming Boxing Day Test match against India at his home ground, the MCG.
On Tuesday, Cricket Australia revealed that Josh Hazlewood is ‘likely to miss’ the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar series after scans revealed he had suffered a calf strain.
The 33-year-old had been a doubt coming into the third Test in Brisbane but had made a recovery from a side strain that had ruled him out of last week’s match at the Adelaide Oval.
Hazlewood struggled through one over on Tuesday before he left the field following a conversation with captain Pat Cummins and one of Australia’s physios.
The New South Wales bowler suffered a mild calf strain earlier in the year during a white-ball tour to the United Kingdom. It culminates in what has been a frustrating two years for Hazlewood who has struggled to overcome a spate of injuries, missing 18 of Australia’s last 35 Tests since the 2021-22 Ashes Series.
Reflecting on Australia’s decision to play Hazlewood in the third Test, some pundits and social media users have criticised selectors over the decision.
Australia’s Josh Hazlewood is likely to miss the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar series
Reflecting on Australia’s decision to play Hazlewood in the third Test, some pundits and social media users have criticised selectors over the decision
It means that Scott Boland, who took five wickets at the Adelaide Oval last week, is now in line to star in next week’s Boxing Day Test
It came after Boland delivered an excellent performance in Adelaide, stepping up in Hazlewood’s absence to take five wickets.
While Hazlewood’s absence will be a huge blow, the silver lining for Australia is that they can now parachute Boland back into the side for the MCG Test – with the Victoria quick a devastating threat on his home pitch.
But reflecting on Hazlewood’s injury news, Isa Guha said to Fox Cricket: ‘They leave no stone unturned when it comes to the bowlers and making sure that they are fit and ready to go and can get through a full Test match.
‘Whether Josh Hazlewood felt he wanted to try and get through this Test it was a bit of a risk to take. But knowing they had Scott Boland as a reinforcement perhaps for the last two Test matches and given the importance of this one and getting ahead.’
Kerry O’Keefe added that Aussie selectors may have had a strategy around deploying Hazlewood at the Gabba, before questioning whether the pace bowler was actually fit going into the game.
‘Trying to look at the Australian strategy, I think they had in mind that Hazlewood should play this and miss Melbourne,’ he told Fox Cricket.
‘Melbourne is by a long way his worst pitch in Australia and then Starc miss Sydney, which is a long way his worst pitch in Australia.
‘So I think they factored in that Hazlewood was going to play this one and that Boland, who loves the MCG would come in for Melbourne.
Some Aussie cricket fans blasted the decision to ‘rush Hazlewood back’, with one branding it a ‘blunder’
Hazlewood bowled six overs during the rain-affected third Test in Brisbane before pulling up injured
And that may well be the case now anyway. The Boland numbers are irresistible. But questions will be asked: ‘Was he (Hazlewood) fit going into this game?’
‘And that question was certainly being asked by pundits and fans on social media.’
A wave of fans took to social media on Tuesday after it was announced that Hazlewood was likely to miss the remainder of the series.
While many wished the Aussie bowling star a speedy recovery, others took aim at Australia’s selectors.
‘Josh Hazlewood bowled six overs,’ one wrote. ‘Such a joke they played him over Boland. I’d have thought the selectors could have been more cautious than to bring a player back so soon after injury.’
‘Hazlewood wasn’t fit enough for this test and they still picked him in the 11 at the expense of Scott Boland. He [Hazlewood] is now injured. Pathetic,’ another fan wrote on X, before adding an angry-face emoji.
‘It’s a very strange decision for the Australian cricket selectors to risk Josh Hazlewood’s injury and drop Scott Boland… Look at what just happened.’
‘Why the urge to rush him back after Scott Boland bowled so well at Adelaide? Blunder by Australia,’ another wrote on X.
‘Boland should have played and should have let him recover completely.’
Multiple fans took to X to write: ‘Get well soon,’ while one added: ‘That’s a tough blow for Australia. Hazlewood’s absence will be felt, but hopefully the team can adjust and perform well in his place.’
Speaking on Hazlewood’s morale after learning of his injury, assistant coach Dan Vettori said: ‘He’s pretty despondent.
It came as the third Test at the Gabba has been heavily impacted by rain, with the adverse weather set to continue into day five
Pat Cummins’ side almost forced a follow-on, but Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep avoided the situation, having wrestled a tide of momentum away from the hosts at the end of day three
‘Obviously he felt it in the warm-ups this morning and gave it a good crack.
‘It’s just unfortunate for him to come back and put so much effort in after another injury with the side strain from the last Test, to pick up a calf injury here, particularly in these circumstances, was really tough on him.
‘He’s obviously one of the best bowlers in the world, so it obviously affects the team.’
Nathan Lyon, said: ‘Obviously he’s pretty flat.
‘But we’ll gt around him and show a bit of care and a bit of love for the big fella, that’s for sure,’ he added.
India finished day three trailing Australia by 193 runs, with Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah still at the crease.
