Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign has taken another major hit with the news that veteran pacer Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the tournament due to ongoing hamstring issues.
Hazlewood, who hasn’t played since injuring his hamstring during the Sheffield Shield on November 12, was initially named in the squad for the World Cup despite staying back in Sydney as the team assembled in Sri Lanka this week.
With just five days left before Australia’s opening match against Ireland in Colombo, national selector Tony Dodemaide confirmed that Hazlewood’s recovery timeline had been extended.
“We had hoped that Josh would regain full fitness by the Super Eights stage, but the latest reports indicate that he is still a fair way from being match-ready,” Dodemaide explained. “Pushing him to fast-track his recovery would present too much of a risk.”
At this stage, Australia has decided not to call up a replacement player. “We believe the squad is well-equipped for the early matches, and any decisions regarding replacements will be made later, based on specific needs at the time,” added Dodemaide.
Australia squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Sean Abbott
