"Injured or dropped due to that last interview" - Fans react as Josh Hazlewood ruled out of BGT 2024-25 Pink-ball Test due to side strain
Australia pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the upcoming Pink-ball Test against India, which starts in Adelaide on December 6. He has picked up a side strain. However, fans believe Hazlewood may have been sidelined for his comments after Australia lost the first match in Perth.
Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett have been called up to the squad. However, Scott Boland is the favorite to replace Hazlewood in the playing XI.
Josh Hazlewood's absence is a big blow for Australia since he picked up five wickets in the first Test. The 33-year-old had also finished with figures of 8/5 when Australia decimated India for 36 in the Pink-ball Test at the same venue during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
Fans on X questioned whether Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out due to injury or for his comments regarding batters which did not go well with many, including commentators. Hazlewood had said (via FoxSports):
“You probably have to ask one of the batters that question probably, I’m sort of relaxing and trying to get a bit of treatment and I’m looking mostly to next Test.”
One user wrote:
"Injured or dropped due to that last interview (with a thinking face emoji)."
Another user wrote:
"He won't speak out about the batters again now will he."
A third user added:
"Does that press conference cost him the spot 'coz he was good in 1st innings and everyone was equally pathetic in 2nd innings. So seems like his big mouth cost him the place."
Here are a few more reactions:
"I think he was just being realistic" - Sunil Gavaskar backs Josh Hazlewood for his comments during the first BGT 2024-25 Test
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar backed Josh Hazlewood for his comments during the first Test of the five-match series in Australia. The cricketer-turned-commentator recently said (via India Today):
"I think he was just being realistic. You're asked to chase almost 550 runs. You've lost three wickets, including two top players. So you're naturally going to know that this 500 mark is not going to be possible. So I think he was just being realistic about it. But maybe, you know, fast bowlers are generally not very diplomatic, so he probably wasn't very diplomatic when he said that."
"Fast bowlers are generally not very diplomatic... But he would have looked silly if he had said, 'Oh, no, we are going to chase 550 runs.' We've seen similar bravado before - like when England said they would chase 600 earlier this year and folded for 150," he added.
India are set to play a warmup game against Australia PM XI in Canberra to prepare for the Pink-ball Test in Adelaide. Day 1 (November 30) of the practice match has been delayed due to rain.