Hazlewood cleared from injury but Abbott ruled out of Ashes Test

Josh Hazlewood has been cleared to join the Australian team for the first Ashes Test post-injury worries, but fellow pace bowler Sean Abbott has been ruled out

Each encountered hamstring issues playing for their state team against Victoria in the Sheffield Shield on Wednesday

Tests indicated the 34-year-old Hazlewood avoided tissue injury. The uncapped Abbott, 33, suffered a moderate-level injury

Skipper Pat Cummins is unavailable for the first Test, commencing later this month, meaning the absence of another experienced fast bowler like Hazlewood could have proven a significant setback

Abbott would have been doubtful to feature at the Perth match, with Hazlewood set to join fellow quicks Starc and Boland as the specialist seamers

Cummins, currently healing from spinal concerns, is expected to be scheduled to reappear for the second Test beginning December 4 in Brisbane

Batter Steve Smith will lead Australia in Cummins' absence

Similar to most Australian cricketers, the bowler took part in ongoing fixtures of state games building up to the England series

Until this match, he hadn't featured red-ball cricket for New South Wales in more than a year

He noticed discomfort in his leg muscle towards the end of Victoria's second innings on Wednesday and left the field for safety reasons

The two bowlers batted in their team's second batting effort as they lost by three hundred runs

"We're a week away from the Test series - we consistently choose the side of caution," said Cummins

"They needed to determine what was happening ahead of risking and possibly causing anything worse"

"It's rare to get him cheerful, so it was good to witness his smile"

"He knows his body really well. It seemed he felt slightly anxious (and desired professional evaluation"

The bowler collected 57 caps for Australia in limited-overs formats

The uncapped Doggett provides bowling backup among the selections, providing cover for Starc, Boland and Hazlewood