Hazlewood ruled out for entire Ashes but Cummins set to return in Adelaide

Australia will be without the great fast bowler Josh Hazlewood for the entire Ashes series due to a combination of hamstring and Achilles injuries.

The absence of Hazlewood – and captain Pat Cummins – has not prevented Australia winning the first two Ashes Tests, with the third member of their superb trifecta, Mitchell Starc, stepping up with 18 wickets.

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Cummins is expected to return for the third Test in Adelaide as he gets over a lower back stress injury, but it has been confirmed that Hazlewood will miss the entire series.

Hazlewood, who has 295 wickets in 76 Tests, had been out with a hamstring injury he sustained in the Sheffield Shield but late last week it emerged that he had developed an Achilles issue, too. It continues a long run of injuries in home summers.

“No, I don’t think he’ll take part in the series now,” coach Andrew McDonald told reporters on Tuesday.

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“You can go with that one. It’s a totally separate injury, it’s somewhere lower in the calf-to-Achilles region.

“He will be out of the series and his preparation will then shift towards the [T20] World Cup, which is an incredibly important campaign for us, but unfortunately Josh won’t be a part of the Ashes and [we’re] really flat for him.

“[He had] a couple of setbacks we didn’t see coming.

“We thought he’d play a huge part in the series, but really feel for him that he won’t get that opportunity.”

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This is a rare piece of good news for England, who are on the ropes after succumbing to Starc in both Tests.

As well as Cummins’s 309 Test wickets, Australia are also likely to welcome Nathan Lyon’s 562 in Adelaide.

Lyon had a walk-on role in Perth, and said he was “absolutely filthy” to be dropped for the second Test in Brisbane.

In his place, Michael Neser stepped up with a five-wicket haul, but it is possible both he and Brendan Doggett are dropped to accommodate the returning legends.