BGT: Hazlewood Makes Comeback as Cummins Unveils Australia XI for Brisbane Test
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Brisbane, Dec 13 (NationPress) Australia captain Pat Cummins has announced that key pacer Josh Hazlewood will be back from injury for the significant third Test against India, which begins on Saturday at the Gabba.
Hazlewood has been dealing with a side injury and was unable to participate as Australia leveled the five-match series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at 1-1 with a commanding 10-wicket victory in the second Test held in Adelaide.
Cummins confirmed that Scott Boland will be replaced by Hazlewood at the Gabba.
"Josh comes back in... had no hiccups. Had a really good bowl yesterday, had another good bowl in Adelaide a few days ago. He and the medical team are extremely confident," Cummins informed reporters in Brisbane on Friday.
Hazlewood's inclusion for Boland is the sole alteration to the home side's XI that triumphed over India by 10 wickets in Adelaide, leveling the series at 1-1.
Cummins acknowledged that it was a tough decision to exclude Boland from the XI, although he anticipates the right-armer will have a role later in the series.
"It's challenging, he (Boland) was outstanding in Adelaide. He has unfortunately spent quite a bit of time on the bench over the last 18 months. Whenever he has played, he has performed exceptionally well. It's unfortunate for Scotty, but there is still a lot of cricket left in this series. I would be surprised if he doesn't get another chance at some stage," Cummins added.
The match at the Gabba is critical for both teams, as Australia and India remain in the race for next year's ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord's and require a series of favorable outcomes to secure their positions in the one-off Test.
Australia XI for the third Test: Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
