Josh Hazlewood clutched his side after bowling the first ball of his second over on the third day
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
Australia pace bowler Josh Hazlewood left the field early on the third day of the first Test against Bangladesh in Mirpur due to a side injury.
Hazlewood seemed to have no issues when bowling his first over of the day, but trouble arose on the first ball of his second over as he clutched his side before telling captain Steve Smith that he would need the injury to be assessed.
The 26-year-old ended up leaving the field in order to seek treatment and a Cricket Australia spokesman said that Hazlewood had a “sore side” and is unlikely to return for the remainder of the first session.
Australia chose two pace bowlers – Hazlewood and Pat Cummins – and two spinners – Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar – for the first Test. All-rounder Glenn Maxwell was included in the squad as a part-time off-spinner.
Should Hazlewood’s injury be serious, Cummins will have to shoulder a lot more responsibility for the rest of the first Test as he will be Australia’s only specialist seamer.
Cummins has enjoyed a lot of success so far as he ripped through Bangladesh’s top order in the first innings and left them reeling at 10/3.
Unlike his partner in crime Mitchell Starc, who has succumbed to injuries on a frequent basis and is currently recovering from a stress fracture in his foot, Hazlewood has played 22 consecutive Tests since missing the fifth and final Test of the 2015 Ashes series with a shin injury.
If Hazlewood is ruled out of the second Test in Chittagong, pace bowler Jackson Bird is likely to replace him.
However, Australia could opt to choose all-rounder Hilton Cartwright as he can be an asset with both the bat and ball.
In the ongoing first Test, Bangladesh made 260 in their first innings, while Australia could only muster 217 before being bowled out. At lunch on the third day, Bangladesh were on 133/3 in their second innings and had a lead of 176 runs.
The second Test in Chittagong will get underway on September 4.