Josh Hazlewood last featured in the Australia vs India T20I series.
Star Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood is among the few notable absentees in the Australia squad, which is set to lock horns with Pakistan in a three-match T20I series before entering the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The reason is simple: Josh Hazlewood is yet to recover from the hamstring injury that he picked up during a Sheffield Shield match before the Ashes. But the seamer is hopeful to regain his match fitness before the mega ICC championship.
Like Pat Cummins, the speedster is also recovering from his hamstring strain that had ruled him out of the Ashes 2025. During the rehab, the bowler also sustained an Achilles issue that further delayed his comeback in international cricket.
However, Hazlewood is confident of being fit in time for the forthcoming T20 World Cup 2026, set to kick off on February 7. Following a warm-up clash against the Netherlands, the 2021 champions will begin their campaign on February 11, facing Ireland.
“Everything’s going to plan. We took a few extra weeks once we couldn’t make the Test matches. I had a couple of bowls off the half-run last week. Running’s going well, all the strength stuff’s going well so, yeah, on track,” Hazlewood had said to ESPNcricinfo in third week of January.
Mitch Marsh (C), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitch Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Matt Short, Marcus Stonis, and Adam Zampa.
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The 35-year-old is a key player of Australia’s pace attack in all three formats of the game. Hazlewood has snared 79 wickets in his 60 T20I appearances so far. Before being sidelined due to the injury, the bowler was maintaining his usual consistency, scalping 14 wickets in his last eight innings since the T20 World Cup 2024.
He had also bagged a match-winning three-wicket haul against India in the 2nd T20I, which later proved to be the only victory for the hosts in the five-match series. However, Hazlewood’s return to the squad will strengthen Australia’s prospects in the T20 World Cup 2026.
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