The Ashes 2025-26: Big Boost for Australia! Josh Hazlewood resumes bowling in nets, Pat Cummins practices with pink-ball ahead of The Gabba test- Reports

Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the Perth test due to a hamstring injury.

Australian Cricket Team have some good news coming their way ahead of the second test of Ashes 2025-26. Josh Hazlewood has resumed his bowling in the nets and was seen training on Tuesday (November 25), according to a report by ESPN Cricinfo. Moreover, captain Pat Cummins was seen bowling with a pink ball as he eyes his comeback in the second test against England Cricket Team at The Gabba, which will begin on December 4.

Hazlewood sustained a hamstring injury while playing for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield 2025-26, a few days before the Perth test. The initial scans did not reveal any signs of injury, however, further investigations revealed a severe hamstring issue. As a result, he was ruled out of the first test and is also set to miss the day-night game in Brisbane. However, he is expected to make a comeback in the third test in Adelaide, which commences on December 17.

On the other hand, Cummins has been recovering from a back injury he sustained earlier this year. He last played in the test series against West Indies in June and July. The 32-year-old seamer also missed the opening game in Perth, with Steve Smith captaining the hosts in his absence.

Notably, there is an 11-day gap ahead of the next game as the Perth test ended within two days. Hence, Cummins has enough time to regain his fitness. Moreover, there is an eight-day gap between the second and third test. Therefore, chances of Hazlewood playing in that looks positive.

Josh Hazlewood will return later in The Ashes 2025-26: Australia coach

On Monday, Australian coach Andrew McDonald revealed that Hazlewood is set to miss the second game, however, he is expected to return later in the series. He had also mentioned that Cummins is in the final stages of his recovery.

“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,” McDonald was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo.

“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,” he further added.

Meanwhile, the hosts lead the five-match test series 1-0 after winning the Perth test by eight wickets. In Cummins and Hazlewood’s absence, Mitchell Starc led Australia’s pace attack with his stunning 10-wicket haul, including a seven-fer in the first innings. The Ashes 2025-26 will conclude on January 8 with the fifth and last test in Sydney.

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