Australia's bowling attack has been dealt a significant blow in the ongoing Gabba Test, with Josh Hazlewood suffering calf soreness ahead of the fourth day's play.
Hazlewood was able to bowl only a single over before leaving the field, leaving the Australian team with a potential gap in their bowling resources.
Hi's discomfort was evident from the start of the day's play.
Arriving late to the field, the fast bowler struggled to find his rhythm, with his first ball—a wide long hop—being cut away by KL Rahul.
He bowled just one over, barely reaching speeds above 131 kph, before being seen walking off the field.
During a drinks break that followed his brief spell, Hazlewood was seen in a lengthy discussion with captain Pat Cummins, Steven Smith, and team physio Nick Jones.
It was during this meeting that Hazlewood left the field, and Cricket Australia (CA) later confirmed that the bowler had reported calf soreness during the morning's warm-up session.
"Josh Hazlewood reported calf awareness in this morning's warm-up," a CA spokesperson said. "He will be taken for scans to assess the injury."
With rain delays already threatening Australia’s chance of victory, the team may now have to rely on just Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon to bowl the majority of the overs.
Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, and Marnus Labuschagne may be called upon to provide support, but the loss of Hazlewood could put additional pressure on the pace duo of Cummins and Starc.
Australia’s best route to victory now appears to be by forcing the follow-on, though this could further strain the workload on the bowlers if Hazlewood remains absent.
The 32-year-old had just returned to the side for this Test after being sidelined due to a side strain in Adelaide, making this latest injury all the more frustrating.
If his injury proves to be significant, it could pave the way for Scott Boland to join the Australian squad for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
Boland, who made a stunning debut in 2021-22, taking 6 wickets for 7 runs against England, is viewed as a valuable backup option should Hazlewood’s recovery take longer than expected.
Pat Cummins had previously hinted at Boland’s potential involvement in the series, noting, "It's about preparing for the MCG because there's a good chance we might need you."
The right-arm pacer has previously dealt with calf issues earlier in the year, which saw him miss the T20I series against Scotland and England.
The fast bowler had expressed his frustration over his side injury earlier this year, noting the repetitive nature of the issue.
Despite ideal preparation for the Test series, Hazlewood was still sidelined with the problem.
"It's not necessarily your typical side strain, which I've had a couple in my career," he said.
"You're running into bowl and you just grab your hat and you're off and you're out for six weeks. It's not that sort of side strain. It's from sort of repetitive use. It's caused me a lot of trouble over the last few years, but [had] perfect prep this year, and played the Shield game and ticked all that off.
"I was very happy where I was and it still happened. So I was pretty annoyed there for a few days. There was plenty of meetings from CA's point of view [with] physios, doctors, all that stuff. So come up with a few options and see if we can stop it from happening again."
- Josh Hazlewood
