A fresh injury scare for pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood has dramatically increased the chances of all-rounder Beau Webster making his Ashes debut alongside Cameron Green, with stand-in captain Steve Smith confirming he is open to fielding both players in the same Australian side.
Bowling Concerns Emerge in Shield Clash
A wave of anxiety swept through the Australian camp during Wednesday's Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Victoria at the SCG. The concern peaked when Josh Hazlewood and fellow Test squad member Sean Abbott left the field in quick succession due to complaints about their hamstrings.
While subsequent scans later that day cleared Hazlewood of a serious strain, the news was far worse for Abbott. The NSW bowler has been ruled out of the start of the highly anticipated Ashes series after being diagnosed with a moderate grade hamstring injury.
This latest incident highlights the ongoing fitness challenges for Hazlewood. In the latter stages of his career, the fast bowler has been a frequent absentee, having missed 12 of Australia's 29 home Tests since the start of the 2019-20 season.
All-Rounders Shine as Selection Dilemma Grows
The injury developments have intensified scrutiny on the durability of Australia's ageing bowling attack, which will already be without skipper Pat Cummins for at least the Perth Test as he recovers from bone stress in his back.
However, the news was not all bleak for national selectors. In other Sheffield Shield action, Cameron Green made a successful return to the bowling crease for Western Australia against Queensland. More notably, Tasmania's Beau Webster pried out eight wickets in his match against South Australia, a haul that included dismissing star batsman Travis Head twice.
Speaking after his own Shield game, Steve Smith admitted he hadn't finalised his thinking for the first Test at Optus Stadium but acknowledged the valuable flexibility both all-rounders provide. "We've got it there, don't we? We've got Green, who bowled well from what I heard in their game. And Slug (Webster), who took five as well," Smith said. "It's nice to have the options there if we feel we need to go down that path at all."
Smith's Decisive Leadership Amid Scare
Green had previously been playing as a specialist batter alongside Webster during the World Test Championship final and the West Indies tour while recovering from major back surgery. If Webster is selected for the Ashes, it appears Green would retain the number three batting position, with Marnus Labuschagne moving up to open.
Smith also revealed his immediate and decisive reaction when Hazlewood first reported the tightness. "He literally bowled his last ball and I looked at him and said, 'how are you going?' Smith recounted. "He's like, 'I'm a bit tight in my hamstring.' I was like, 'Get off the field. Disappear. You're done, go and figure it out.' Fortunately, it was just some tightness and he's good."
The high-stakes Shield match featured Australia's entire first-choice bowling attack for the first Test, with Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon playing for NSW and Scott Boland representing Victoria. Smith even joked that after the injuries, he considered wrapping Starc and Boland in cotton wool for the remainder of the game to avoid any further mishaps before the Ashes.
