In a major blow for Australia, pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have been ruled out of the Test series against Pakistan, set to be played in United Arab Emirates in October.
Both the pacers, who haven’t played any cricket in the last four months following the series against South Africa in March-April, are undergoing rehabilitation for their back injuries and won’t be available for the two-match Test series.
The duo is expected to return to competitive cricket in November with New South Wales, in the domestic one-day competition. The fitness of the pacers will be crucial ahead of Australia’s packed international home season – a limited-overs series against South Africa, a full series against India followed by a two-Test series against Sri Lanka.
“Pat and Josh are progressing well from their lumbar bone stress injuries but are not bowling, so, unfortunately, they will not be at the level required for Test match intensity come October,” David Beakley, Australia’s physiotherapist, said.
“Barring any setbacks, we are hopeful that Pat and Josh will return via the back-end of the JLT One-Day Cup, with the aim of them being available for the ODI Series against South Africa in November as they build towards the Indian Test Series,” he added.
Among all the gloom, there is also some positive news for Australia as lead pacer Mitchell Starc appears to be on track to regain full fitness and be available for the series. Starc, who had suffered a bone stress fracture during the South Africa series, missed the IPL in order to recover for national duty.
“Mitchell Starc is back to unrestricted training and remains on track for the Test Series against Pakistan,” Beakley added.
© Cricbuzz
