In a blow to the Australian fast bowling unit, which has battled injuries, pacer Josh Hazlewood is to miss out on the initial stages of the ICC T20 World Cup tournament and will continue his rehabilitation in Sydney for his Achilles issue, ESPNCricinfo reported on Monday.
Billed as a contest between two Pakistani stalwarts, Renegades' Mohammed Rizwan and Sixers' Babar, it was the latter who came out on top, scoring his second half-century of the season.
Australian speedster Sean Abbott is eyeing a comeback to the test side after recovering from a hamstring injury. The right-arm pacer Abbott was also part of the Baggy Greens' Ashes Squad for the opening Test against England, which the hosts won by eight wickets in Perth.
Josh Hazlewood's chances of featuring in the ongoing Ashes series have taken another hit, with the pacer developing Achilles soreness just as he began easing back from a recent hamstring injury
In a massive setback for Australia, after injuries to skipper Pat Cummins and Sean Abbott, another mainstay of the Aussie pace attack, Hazlewood, has been ruled out of the first Test at Perth due to a hamstring injury which first surfaced during the Sheffield Shield return for New South W
Australia suffered a setback ahead of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) opener as all-rounder Sean Abbott was ruled out of the Perth Test due to a hamstring injury, while pacer Josh Hazlewood has been cleared of any major damage after precautionary scans revealed no muscle strain.
Starc struck early, dismissing four of Victoria's top six batsmen, while his Australia teammate Nathan Lyon chipped in with 2-65, removing the other two top-order batsmen.
Australia captain Pat Cummins has said he is eager to play as much cricket as possible in the upcoming Test summer but admitted he may have to manage his workload carefully depending on the demands of each match.
Opener Sam Konstas misses out, whereas Marnus Labuschagne earns a recall, and Jake Weatherald is also included in the squad as Australia announces their squad for the first Test of the Ashes 2025-26 series against England starting from November 21.
Australia swashbuckler Travis Head will remain unavailable for the final two matches of the five-match series to prepare for the Ashes, scheduled to begin on November 21, while representing South Australia in the Sheffield Shield.
Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to field first in the third T20I of the five-match series against Australia, which is being played at Bellerive Oval here on Sunday.
Josh Philippe has emerged in the frame to compete in the first T20I of the five-match series against India, scheduled to commence on Wednesday at the Manuka Oval in Canberra.