2 hours ago
Josh Hazlewood has been cleared to become part of the Australian team for the first Ashes Test following fitness concerns, but fellow pace bowler Sean Abbott will miss the match
Both suffered hamstring issues during their match for their state team against Victoria in domestic cricket this past Wednesday
Tests indicated Hazlewood, 34 did not sustain tissue injury. The uncapped Abbott, 33, has a moderate-level injury
Team captain Cummins is unavailable for the initial match, commencing later this month, therefore missing of another established pace bowler such as Hazlewood would have been a major blow
Abbott would have been not expected to participate at the Perth match, while Hazlewood will combine fellow quicks Starc and Boland as the primary pace attack
The captain, rehabilitating from back issues, is thought to be likely to comeback during the next Test commencing December fourth
Top-order player Smith takes over leadership in Cummins' absence
Similar to most Australian cricketers, the bowler took part in recent matches of Sheffield Shield matches ahead of the historic rivalry
Prior to recently, he had not played red-ball cricket for New South Wales for over twelve months
He experienced stiffness in his leg muscle near the conclusion of Victoria's second innings on Wednesday exiting the play for safety reasons
The two bowlers participated in batting for the follow-on innings as they lost by 300 runs
"We have one week from the Test series - we consistently choose precautionary measures," stated the captain
"They needed to determine the nature of the problem before pushing it and potentially making the condition"
"He seldom shows him chipper, therefore it was positive to see him smiling"
"He knows his body really well. I think he was a little bit worried (and) wanted to get medical assessment"
Abbott earned 57 caps for Australia in white-ball cricket
The yet-to-debut the pace bowler represents additional pace options among the selections, acting as backup for the primary fast bowlers
