Australia’s Ace fast bowler Josh Hazlewood He will miss the remainder of the T20I series against India to prioritize his preparations for the 2025 campaign, which begins on November 21. The decision came in the second T20I at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), where he was named player of the player for his brilliant record of 3 wickets for 13 runs.
Josh Hazlewood to skip remaining T20I matches against India
Hazlewood chose to take a temporary step away from the t20i format to fine-tune his bowling for test cricket. The experienced pacer stressed the importance of adapting to the red-ball rhythm ahead of the Ashes series against England.
The Aussie Seamer is expected to be in the Sheffield Shield fixture for New South Wales against Victoria before closing out the National Test Squad in Perth.
Hazlewood’s absence is a big blow for Australia
Hazlewood’s absence is a big blow for Australia, especially after his impressive display in the second T20I. The right-arm pacer, Key Indian Batters Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma, started the top order collapse and contained the Australian attack. His accurate line and length limited India’s scoring opportunities and paved the way for Australia to claim a four-wicket haul to give them a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
The ability to strike early and apply pressure in the PowerPlay Overs has been a hallmark of Australia’s recent T20 success. With Hazlewood unavailable, the team will rely on their depth in PACE selections to fill the gap.
Read: Josh Hazlewood’s bowling brilliance lifts Australia to victory over India in 2nd T20I
Australia announced updated squad for remaining T20I vs India
After Hazlewood’s withdrawal, Cricket Australia (CA) named their spin squad for the remaining three T20IS. Skipper Mitchell Marsh will continue to lead the side with a mix of experience and youth coming together.
Mitchell Marsh (Captain), Sean Abbott (Game 3), Xavier Bartlett, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis (Game 4 and 5), Nathan Ellis, Mahili Philippe, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Matchell Owen, Matt Gist, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.
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