Australia Head Coach Andrew McDonald Provides Concerning Update On Josh Hazlewood's Fitness Ahead Of Pink Ball Ashes Test At The Gabba

Australia registered a dominating start to the 2025-26 edition of The Ashes. The hosts of The Ashes, Australia, decimated and defeated England by eight wickets in two days. Australia are not only the defending champions of the prestigious urn, but they are also at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) points table. Australia are currently 1-0 up in the five-match Ashes series.

Australia left England stunned in Perth despite missing the services of their star bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. It was their left-arm quick Mitchell Starc who picked up 10 wickets to help Australia win the game.

ALSO READ | 'You Plunged My Country Into Silence': Ravi Shastri Pens Down Appreciation Post For Travis Head After Australia Defeat England In Perth

Australia Coach Andrew McDonald Provides Fitness Update On Josh Hazlewood

The second Test match of Ashes 2025 will be played from December 4, 2025, at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, but it seems that Australia will be without the services of their premier pacer Josh Hazlewood. The right-handed pacer was ruled out of the first Test due to a hamstring injury, but it is now being said that he might be on the sidelines for the next match too.

'He's working through the first week of his rehab. I'm not sure that we need to give an update on that. Once he gets further down the track and have some rough timelines, then we'll be in a position to communicate that. I know that he'll be available at some point during the series. We've got a little bit of that early rehab to go through,' said the Australia Head Coach as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

It is also said that Josh Hazlewood will travel with the team to Brisbane, but most probably he won't take a part in the Pink Ball Test match that will start from December 4, 2025.

ALSO READ | 'It’ll Be A Collaboration': Pat Cummins Sends Warning Signals To England For Pink Ball Test After Australia Demolish Ben Stokes' Men In Perth

McDonald Speaks On Pat Cummins' Return

Australia's regular skipper Pat Cummins is expected to make a comeback in the second Test match of the series. Cummins had picked up a lumbar bone stress injury in his lower bone. Head Coach Andrew McDonald said that there is a lot of positive in Cummins' bowling, but the team management doesn't want to harm Cummins by accelerating his recovery process.