Josh Hazlewood has thrown a major scare into the Aussie cricket team as the injury that ruined his last two summers before the Ashes resurfaced
- He was rushed home for immediate rehab
- Meanwhile other Aussies abroad are on fire
- Even the bowlers are getting tons
The side dropped Aussie pace bowler Josh Hazlewood – again.
Not his teammates, but the side-strain issue that has resurfaced in India after he missed matches in the Australian team’s past two Test campaigns.
Hazlewood returned home early from his time in the India Premier League as his Aussie Test teammates prepare to leave for England later this week to prepare for the World Test Championship game against India on June 7.
‘Josh Hazlewood returned home from the IPL last weekend after experiencing minor pain in the side after his most recent IPL match,’ a Cricket Australia spokesperson told the Sydney Morning Herald.
‘After a short and careful rest period, Hazlewood returned to high intensity bowling last week and will continue to increase his bowling workloads in preparation for the WTC and Ashes series. Hazlewood is considered fit and available for the WTC and Ashes Series.’
The latest setback comes as other Aussie stars are showing superb form ahead of the battle for the famed urn.
Marnus Labuschagne has wowed fans with his county cricket exploits over the past month.
In an indication of his dominance, he was filthy as he got out for 138 last weekend, adding another ton to his impressive run with the bat in English county cricket.
Aussie fast bowler John Hazlewood returned home early from the Indian Premier League to nurse another side strain scare
On top of that, both Marcus Harris and Michael Neser are also flying the flag high with both in-form players ending their county spells with stunning hundreds.
Opener Harris picked up his bat for his Gloucestershire side with an unbeaten 122 against Durham.
Not to be outdone, allrounder Neser, who was having a superb season with Glamorgan, smashed the third century of his career in a match against Sussex and Hove, which also featured fellow internationals Labuschagne and Steve Smith .
Australian all-rounder Michael Neser took five hours to compile 123 for Glamorgan in county cricket at the weekend
Marnus Labuschagne is on fire with the bat in English county cricket
This was the match in which Marnus blasted his 138, and in reply Neser proceeded to hammer the Welsh county side to safety with a marathon knock of 123 that took him nearly five hours.
It helped Glamorgan reach a remarkable total of 737 in their second innings – the fifth-highest second-innings score in the history of first-class cricket and 614 more than they had in the first innings. Their captain Kiran Carlson made them 192 while Smith took 2-55 from his 10.5 overs.
Neser slog-swept Smith for a six to bring up his ton.
In India, the highest paid player in the IPL, Australia’s Cameron Green, delivered in spades by smashing a quick-fire ton in 47 deliveries for his Mumbai Indians.
This prompted respected commentator Sanjay Manjrekar to write: ‘The guy you watch hammering bowlers at the Wankhede…100 in an SR 220, recently scored 21 in 90 mins in India, in a Test, in a tank turner showing great patience and defense . Cameron Green is special among specials!’
