Josh Hazlewood, the Australian fast bowler to miss out on the early matches of the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. The national selector, Tony Dodemaide, recently stated, bowler will continue his rehabilitation after an injury in Sydney. However, the trio of Nathan Ellis, Tim David, and Glenn Maxwell has reached Colombo.
Dodemaide stated, “Nathan, Tim, and Glenn have arrived in Colombo, and we look forward to meeting up with them when we arrive from Pakistan.”
“We felt with Josh it was more practical and beneficial for him to continue his rehabilitation at home in a familiar environment before travelling to Sri Lanka.”
Hazlewood has been ruled out of the 2025-26 Ashes series because of a persistent Achilles injury. The problem developed while he was recovering from an earlier hamstring strain.
Dodemaide did not provide a timeline for when Hazlewood will return for the tournament. Australia’s preliminary matches conclude on 20th February, with Oman, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe as their other group opponents.
Last week, experienced pacer Pat Cummins was ruled out of the tournament due to a persistent back injury and has been replaced in the 15-man squad by Ben Dwarshuis. Dodemaide added that Abbott is included as a backup for Ellis.
“With Nathan also completing his return to play, we decided to bring Sean with us as fast bowling cover should anything come up at short notice,” he said
“Sean is an accomplished and versatile international player who has experienced numerous World Cup campaigns. It made sense for him to stay with the group following the Pakistan tour.”
Australia is set to play four preparatory matches in Colombo and Pallekele before their campaign begins against Ireland on 11th February. While the bowler is forced to be sidelined during the early part of the tournament, Sea Abbott is flying with the team as a travelling reserve.
