Ashes 2025/26: Josh Hazlewood Out, Will Cummins Join vs Brisbane?

Emerging reports suggest that Australian cricketer Josh Hazlewood will meet the Brisbane Test against England. Hazlewood was ruled out of contention for a place in the Perth squad after a hamstring problem became too serious to ignore. However, Josh will join his teammates in Brisbane during training sessions as he continues rehabilitation under close watch.

Australia Coach Shares Details on Hazlewood Situation

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald recently expressed his reluctance to give premature updates on the full fitness date of cricketer Josh Hazlewood:

“He’s working through the first week of his rehab. I’m not sure that we need to give an update on that. Once he gets further down the track and [we] have some rough timelines, then we’ll be in a position to communicate that,” the coach said.

McDonald says Hazlewood will be fit to play in 2025 Ashes

Australia’s coach says Hazlewood will be available to feature for Australia at some point before the Ashes rounds up in January 2026:

“I know that he’ll be available at some point during the series. We’ve got a little bit of that early rehab to go through to formulate where he may plug into the series, but we expect him to take some part in the series,” he shared during the interview.

We don’t want to put Josh “in harm’s way” – McDonald submits

Coach McDonald assessed Hazlewood’s performance and believes the cricketer is at an advanced recovery stage leading up to his next available date. However, the coach says he won’t pit Josh against English Test players to avoid aggravating current fitness issues:

“It looked like a player that was nearing the completion of his rehabilitation. The intensity was there; the ball speed was there. There’s a lot of positives, but now it’s just really building that resilience within the soft tissue and making sure that we’re not putting him in harm’s way in terms of accelerating it too much,” the coach said.

Aussie gaffer praises debutant’s execution in Perth

Brendan Doggett got his first Test nod for Australia at the 2025 Ashes and faced English opposition at Perth. McDonald recognises the cricketer’s performance alongside fellow debutant Jake Weatherald against their visitors:

“I thought Brendan Doggett, his ability to execute the bouncer plan when we needed him to and [then] to pitch the ball up get in the right areas. And Jake in the second innings, I thought the way he was able to put pressure back on, we want to be that type of batting unit that has that intent and looks to score, and he most certainly did that,” the coach said.

Renshaw Makes a Case for Khawaja’s Inclusion in Second 2025 Ashes Test

Australian cricketer Matt Renshaw recently made calls for Team Australia to retain veteran opening batter Usman Khawaja. Renshaw believes the veteran batsman should get another shot at the bat against England even if he has to stay out of some matches after that.

The 38-year-old Khawaja had to deal with a back injury right after Australia’s triumph over England in roughly 2 days at Perth. Travis Head stepped up to deliver a sizzling ton in an opening role while Khawaja nursed his injuries.

Some analysts called for Head’s retention in an opening role in Brisbane and other matches; however, Renshaw believes Usman deserves another chance:

 “He’s got an average of over 40 (43.56) in Test cricket, he’s played 85 games, he’s one of our best batters; he’s one of the best cricketers that Australia’s ever produced,” Renshaw said.

Australia May Add Player to Brisbane Squad after Key Players Ruled Out

The Australian Ashes squad may add another cricketer to their Brisbane lineup following injuries to key players. Selectors and team officials may sanction the inclusion of one more player as Australia aim to put up a strong showing against their English guests.

The team decided to call up Michael Neser in an earlier iteration when it was clear that Sean Abbott and Josh Hazlewood will play no part in the upcoming Test match.

Full Ashes 2025 Schedule