Will Josh Hazlewood Play AUS vs ENG 2nd Ashes Test?

Australia will take on England in the 2nd Test match scheduled to start on December 4, at the Gabba, Brisbane. After a stunning performance in the first game, the hosts will be looking forward to playing another match. Travis Head's knock, Mitchell Starc's bowling, and Australia's fielding combined together to outplay England in the first match.

With the second game almost a week later, fans are anticipating the return of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, two of the best Test bowlers in the world. Ahead of the 2nd Test, the Australian coach has given a massive update on the players' injury and recovering state.

Will Josh Hazlewood Play Next Match?

Australia are soon to receive a good news before the 2nd Test against England regarding Hazlewood's injury concerns. Australia's coach Andrew McDonald has given Josh Hazlewood injury update and confirmed that the fast bowler has started practicing at the nets and was spotted training at Cricket Central in Sydney along with Pat Cummins. As per head coach, Hazlewood is likely to miss the second Test match as well but he will surely come back later in the series.

Speaking on Monday, Australia coach Andrew McDonald was confident that Josh Hazlewood would be available later in the Ashes. "I know that he'll be available at some point during the series," he said. "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."

Hazlewood will not be available in the Gabba Test match but has already started training. Josh Hazlewood Ashes campaign might resume from the Adelaide Test, scheduled from December 17. He is likely to feature in the last two matches of the series.

Will Pat Cummins Play in AUS vs ENG 2nd Test?

While the reports around Pat Cummins' return in the second Test match surfaced all around the internet, there are still many doubts regarding his recovery. As per ESPNCricinfo, the selectors want Cummins to be fully fit before coming back to play in the Ashes 2025. Even the head coach McDonald revealed that Cummins looked fit and has been practicing well for the second match.

"It looked like a player that was nearing the completion of his rehabilitation," McDonald said. "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 matches are scheduled with proper gaps and the second game is almost a week away, so we might see Cummins back in action. Despite his absence, Australia did a phenomenal job in outplaying England in the first match at Perth, one of the renowned cricket stadiums in Australia. This shows the strength of the team, especially in home conditions.

Australia won the first match of the series by an emphatic margin on the backs of Travis Head and Mitchell Starc's match-winning performances wirth bat and ball respectively. They will be favorites going into the second game as well.