Sydney, Nov 24 (IANS) Australia received a boost on Tuesday as Josh Hazlewood took to the nets, working towards recovery from the hamstring setback that ruled him out of the opening Ashes Test in Perth. Simultaneously, Pat Cummins was seen practising with a pink ball, progressing steadily in his bid to feature in the upcoming day-night Test at the Gabba after his back injury.

The duo utilised the Cricket Central facilities in Sydney while the New South Wales side faced Tasmania in their ongoing Sheffield Shield clash.

Hazlewood’s session focused on red-ball bowling, signalling the team’s strategy – he’s unlikely to return at the Gabba and is instead eyeing a comeback for Adelaide, which hosts a traditional day Test this year.

Australia’s head coach, Andrew McDonald, expressed optimism on Monday about Hazlewood’s participation later in the Ashes campaign, 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.”

Cummins, on the other hand, has been impressively building up his bowling intensity, particularly evident in the lead-up to the Perth Test. The selectors remain cautious, needing full assurance that he can withstand the workload of a five-day match – especially as earlier matches in the series might wrap up quickly.

McDonald commented on his progress and said, “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.”

The first three Tests are well-spaced, with an 11-day gap now slotted between the opener and the second match following the quick finish in Perth. However, after Adelaide, the fixtures tighten – just a four-day break before the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and another four days until Sydney, provided those games last the distance.

With the pink-ball contest looming in Brisbane, the potential for another action-packed, fast-paced Test is high. Recent Sheffield Shield experience backs this up, as ten wickets tumbled during the night session of day three in the Queensland-Victoria match, though wickets were harder to come by earlier.

In that Shield encounter, Xavier Bartlett stood out with figures of 4 for 35 in Victoria’s second innings, supplementing his efforts with a career-best 72 runs. Bartlett, who has already shown promise in white-ball cricket, could be moving closer to an Ashes opportunity – especially if Australia requires extra pace options. However, the anticipated return of Cummins and Hazlewood might keep the door closed for now.

Michael Neser, who was the reserve quick in Perth, could be in contention for Brisbane – his home patch. Both of his previous Tests, though, have come with the pink ball in Adelaide during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.

Selectors have also held out hope for Jhye Richardson’s availability later in the series as he works back from recent shoulder surgery. Richardson has already trained with the Test squad in Perth and got through 20 overs for the CA XI against the England Lions, albeit without taking a wicket. He’s likely to appear for Australia A in Brisbane soon.

After his recent outing, Richardson provided a positive update, “This game was a lot about physical preparation for me and making sure that we can get through. I’m sure there would have been a few people seeing a bit of ice on it after the bowling but that’s basically just maintenance. The shoulder’s feeling really good and it’s feeling better and better each bowl.

“It’s a decent hit out, the most overs I’ve bowled in a while and it’s all part of the process to building up to be ready for four and five-day cricket.”

–IANS

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