Hazlewood Out of Scotland T20Is, Meredith Called Up

Josh Hazlewood's calf strain has ruled him out of Australia's T20I series against Scotland next month, adding to the team's injury woes. Riley Meredith has been called up as his replacement.

Hazlewood sustained the injury during training last week, and while it is described as minor, the selectors are likely to take a cautious approach ahead of a busy home summer that includes five Tests against India. He is expected to be available for the T20Is and ODIs against England later in September.

Meredith, who last played for Australia in 2021, has been in impressive form for Somerset in England's white-ball competitions. He has taken 14 wickets in the T20 Blast and six in the one-day cup, including a match-winning 4 for 27 against Middlesex at Lord's.

Hazlewood's absence is the second blow to Australia's pace attack, with Spencer Johnson also ruled out with a side strain. The pace attack for the Scotland series will now feature Meredith, Xavier Bartlett, Sean Abbott, and Nathan Ellis, alongside allrounders Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, and Marcus Stoinis. Adam Zampa and the uncapped Cooper Connolly will provide the spin.

Hazlewood was the only one of Australia's "big three" quicks initially included for the full tour of the UK. Mitchell Starc will feature in the ODIs against England, while Pat Cummins is missing the entire trip to focus on strength and conditioning ahead of the home summer.

"The priority at the moment is to smash out some gym work and start reassessing in a few weeks a path forward," Cummins said last week. "I'm just trying to fill up the bucket again after two years of non-stop bowling. [Hoping] come that first Test [against India] in as good of a position as I have been in for a few years."

Australia fly out to Scotland on Monday with the first T20I taking place in Edinburgh on September 4.

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