Pat Cummins confirmed that Josh Hazlewood will likely be fit to compete in the third Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test match.
Australia ran away with the second Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, an emphatic performance at the Adelaide Oval meaning they made the most of their expertise with the pink ball in day-night Test matches to draw level with India at 1-1.
Josh Hazlewood is expected to return to action at the Gabba in Brisbane.(AFP)
Australia’s success was thanks in large part to a terrific bowling performance from the pace battery, as India had no answers to the brutal demolition job enacted by Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins in particular. The visitors were bowled out for 180 in the first innings and 175 in the second, with no batter reaching a half-century.
However, Australian fans will still want to hear about the status of Josh Hazlewood after one member of their three-headed dragon missed out on the Adelaide Test due to an injury. Speaking at a press conference following the victory, Pat Cummins gave a positive update on his seam-bowling mate.
“(Josh Hazlewood) will have to bowl tomorrow, so he’s all on track. He will bowl tomorrow and then we will have to assess from there. But yeah, it’s all gone to plan so far,” said Cummins optimistically. “So we are fairly confident that he will be alright for Brisbane, and we’ll know more in the next couple of days. Yeah if someone has to make way, that’ll be pretty unlucky.”
Boland shines in Hazlewood’s shoes
Hazlewood was Australia’s best performer in a losing cause at the Optus Stadium in Perth, but had to miss out on the subsequent match. Nevertheless, Scott Boland was very good at deputising in his place at the Adelaide Oval, taking five wickets across the two innings including the significant scalps of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli in the second innings.
The stars of the show for Australia with ball in hand were Mitchell Starc, who took career-best figures of 6-48 as his love affair with the pink ball continues, as well as skipper Cummins, whose fast, sharp, and aggressive short ball tactic on the third morning helped him earn a five-fer of his own. On the batting front, Travis Head got the player of the match for a glorious and attacking 140, as his innings put all the pressure on India and ensured Australia were on the verge of a good result in his home town.
