Huge setback for Australia as star player ruled out of WTC Final against India, replacement announced

Josh Hazlewood has been forced to withdraw from Australia's World Test Championship final against India due to an injury. The spearhead has been replaced by Michael Neser, who will be joining the squad for the upcoming match at The Oval on June 7th. As a result, Scott Boland is now the frontrunner to secure a spot in the starting lineup.

Hazlewood's injury, which was caused by side soreness during the IPL, is a setback for the team. However, he remains a valuable member of the Australian squad and will be considered for the upcoming Ashes series. Chief selector George Bailey has confirmed that Hazlewood is still in contention for the first Test, which will take place in Edgbaston on June 16th.

"Josh was very, very close to being given the green light but we are cognisant that our upcoming schedule [the WTC final quickly followed by five Ashes Tests] means this is not a one-off Test match of us.

"This will give Josh an ideal preparation leading into Edgbaston. With six Test matches in a little over seven weeks we will need all of our fast bowling assets."

Neser has recently returned from playing with Glamorgan on the county cricket circuit. Due to the uncertainty surrounding Hazlewood's availability, Neser and Sean Abbott were called back from their county duties to train with the Australian squad in Beckenham.

"Michael's county form has been strong and knowing that he was going to be close by allowed for him to keep playing and for us to be able to call on him," Bailey said.

Hazlewood's withdrawal from the IPL after just three games for Royal Challengers Bangalore raised concerns about his fitness. Although scans cleared him of any damage to his side, the decision was considered a precautionary measure due to his recent run of injuries, including two side strains over the past two years and an Achilles issue. As a result, he has only played in four of Australia's last 19 Test matches and has not played in back-to-back first-class games since early 2021.

Despite these setbacks, Hazlewood was picked for the WTC final, subject to proving his fitness with heavy training loads leading up to the game. As recently as May 31, he was still very hopeful of making it. However, Sunday's announcement came after Hazlewood bowled three spells at training on Saturday, indicating that he was not yet ready to return to the field.

Fortunately, Australia's WTC squad includes other specialist quicks, including captain Pat Cummins, who is back after missing Australia's previous two Tests in India due to family reasons, and Mitchell Starc, who is fully fit after missing the first two games of that India series with a finger injury.

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