Josh Hazlewood of Australia (Getty Images) Australia’s World T20 preparations have suffered a massive setback as veteran Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the tournament, leaving the former champions without their famous ‘Big Three’ at a global event for the first time since 2011. The 35-year-old has not played since injuring his hamstring in a November match in Sheffield, making his participation now too risky.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!National coach Tony Dodemaide admitted the team initially hoped Hazlewood would regain fitness in the latter stages of the tournament, but recent medical updates have forced a re-evaluation. “We were hoping that Josh would be back for the Super Eights stage to match his fitness, but the latest indications are that he is still some time away,” Dodemaide said. “Trying to speed up his program carries too much risk.
T20 World Cup Captains Day: Australia, Ireland, Netherlands, Oman
Cricket Australia also confirmed that no immediate replacement would be named, with management opting to assess their needs over the course of the tournament.Hazlewood’s absence, combined with Pat Cummins’ injury and Mitchell Starc’s withdrawal from T20 Internationals, marks the first World Cup since March 2011 without any member of Australia’s iconic pace trio.
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The development leaves captain Mitch Marsh with an experienced fast bowling option ahead of Ireland’s opener in Colombo, with Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis currently the only fully fit players in the front line. Nathan Ellis is racing against time to be fit for the game, while Sean Abbott remains a traveling reserve who could be drafted later.Despite the depleted reserves, Marsh remains optimistic about Australia’s balance sheet, hinting at a rotation strategy in Sri Lankan conditions. “We’ve been able to build a lot of depth in our squad … we’ve got a lot of faith in the lads to get the job done,” he said, praising Adam Zampa and Matthew Kuhnemann while highlighting the all-round value of Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green.After a heavy 3-0 series defeat to Pakistan, Australia now face a major challenge – reshaping their bowling identity.
