Australia head coach Andrew McDonald recently came forward and talked about the injury situation of pacers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins ahead of the second Test of ongoing Ashes 2025-26 series.
The stage is set for the second Test of the ongoing Ashes 2025-26. Australia and England will lock horns in the second Test at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, from December 4. Ahead of the clash, Australia’s injury problems have taken another hit as star pacer Josh Hazlewood is set to extend his stay on the sidelines.
It is worth noting that Hazlewood was ruled out of the first Ashes Test due to a hamstring strain, and his stay on the sidelines is extended as he is set to miss the second Test of the series as well. Still undergoing rehab, the pacer is expected to join the squad in Brisbane but won’t play a part in the clash.
Speaking on the same, Australia head coach Andrew McDonald came forward and provided the injury update on the 34-year-old. He revealed that Hazlewood will surely play some part in the series, and is expected to feature in the third Test.
“He’s working through the first week of his rehab. I’m not sure that we need to give an update on that. Once he gets further down the track and [we] have some rough timelines, then we’ll be in a position to communicate that,” McDonald was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
“I know that he’ll be available at some point during the series. We’ve got a little bit of that early rehab to go through to formulate where he may plug into the series, but we expect him to take some part in the series,” he added.
McDonald also talked about Pat Cummins’ availability
Notably, Australia skipper Pat Cummins, who missed the first Test of the series due to a lumbar bone stress injury in his lower back, is expected to make his comeback in the second clash. Speaking on it, Andrew McDonald opined that Cummins’ inclusion would be a late decision for the board.
“It looked like a player that was nearing the completion of his rehabilitation. The intensity was there, the ball speed was there. There’s a lot of positives, but now it’s just really building that resilience within the soft tissue and making sure that we’re not putting him in harm’s way in terms of accelerating it too much,” McDonald said.
“But it will be a genuine discussion leading into this Test match. That may be one that eventuates late for us. A little bit to work through but it’s nearing completion, which is really, really positive,” he added.
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