Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood could be in contention to play the second Ashes Test, which is set to begin on December 4 in Brisbane. Both fast bowlers trained at the Cricket Central nets in Sydney this week while New South Wales played their recent Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania, which is a positive sign for their fitness.
Cummins is nearing full fitness, while Hazlewood does not appear too far behind.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald expressed his belief that even if Hazlewood misses the next Test, he can still play a part later in the series, saying: “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.” Hazlewood was bowling with a red ball during the practice session, which suggests he is targeting the Adelaide Test rather than the Gabba, which will be a pink-ball affair.
Meanwhile, the Australian captain was seen bowling with the pink ball, hinting at his preparations for the upcoming day-night Test. “It looked like a player nearing the completion of his rehabilitation. The intensity was there, the ball speed was there. There are a lot of positives, but now it’s really about building that resilience within the soft tissue and making sure we’re not putting him in harm’s way by accelerating it too much,” McDonald said.
Their progress comes at a time when Australia’s pace depth is strengthening. Xavier Bartlett impressed in the Sheffield Shield, producing a career-best performance by taking four wickets and scoring 72 runs. Brisbane-based Michael Neser is also an option. Mitchell Starc’s new-look pace attack outshone their counterparts. The addition of Cummins, Hazlewood, or both would benefit Australia immensely as they look to make it 2–0 at the Gabba next week.
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