2 hours ago
Hazlewood received clearance to become part of the Aussie lineup for the initial Test against England following fitness concerns, although compatriot Sean Abbott has been ruled out
The two experienced hamstring issues playing for their state team against Victoria during Sheffield Shield action recently
Medical examinations revealed Hazlewood, 34 avoided tissue injury. The uncapped Abbott, 33, has a "moderate grade" injury
Team captain Cummins will miss the first Test, beginning on 21 November, meaning the absence of another experienced fast bowler in Hazlewood would have been a serious concern
Abbott would have been doubtful to feature during the Western Australia Test, as Hazlewood prepares to team up fellow quicks Starc and Boland as the specialist seamers
Cummins, who is recovering from a back injury, appears to be on track to return for the Brisbane match beginning December 4 in Brisbane
Batsman Steve Smith will captain the side while Cummins is out
Similar to most the Australia players, the bowler took part in the current round of state games in preparation for the England series
Until this match, he had not played domestic first-class games representing NSW in more than a year
He noticed discomfort in his posterior chain towards the end of the opposition's batting during the match and was substituted for safety reasons
Neither Hazlewood nor Abbott participated in batting for the follow-on innings during their defeat by 300 runs
"We have one week before the international cricket - typically prefer the side of caution," stated the captain
"They wanted to find out what was happening prior to testing it and possibly causing anything worse"
"It's rare to get him cheerful, so it was good to witness his smile"
"He knows his body thoroughly. I think he was somewhat concerned (and desired professional evaluation"
Abbott earned 57 international selections representing Australia in white-ball cricket
The yet-to-debut Brendan Doggett is the other seamer in the squad, providing cover for Starc, Boland and Hazlewood
