Australia’s preparations for the current Ashes campaign have taken another turn, with pace bowler Josh Hazlewood encountering fresh trouble during his comeback from a hamstring injury. The latest complication emerged just as he attempted to advance his rehabilitation, adding another hurdle to his bid to rejoin the Test side before the end of the series.
Hazlewood had been scheduled to link up with the squad in Brisbane to continue his recovery program, but officials halted those plans after he developed soreness in his Achilles while resuming light bowling in Sydney. The setback arrived only weeks after he damaged his hamstring in a match against Victoria.
“Josh Hazlewood reported achilles soreness this week during his rehabilitation from recent hamstring injury, It is a low-grade issue and he is expected to recommence running and bowling next week,” a statement from Cricket Australia outlined the immediate assessment.
Hazlewood’s history with injuries
Although Hazlewood was never expected to feature in the day-night Test in Adelaide, the new concern tightens the timeline for any potential return in Melbourne or Sydney. His path back has repeatedly been complicated in recent years by secondary problems surfacing while recovering from major injuries, including recurring calf and Achilles trouble.
Those interruptions have shaped several seasons. He endured a side strain early in the 2022-23 home summer, missed three Tests, and then battled Achilles soreness soon after returning, which kept him out of the India tour and the World Test Championship final earlier the following year. Additional disruption followed last summer when another side strain ruled him out of the second Test against India. A push to rejoin the attack in Brisbane resulted in a calf strain, sidelining him for the remainder of that season and much of the subsequent international calendar.
Momentum finally arrived after a mid-IPL return, carrying him through a stretch that included the WTC final, a Caribbean Test campaign, and white-ball series against South Africa, New Zealand and India. That run ended when he injured his hamstring for New South Wales, an issue initially missed on scanning.