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Australian selectors are likely to leave out pacer Josh Hazlewood from the squad touring Sri Lanka for the team's last ICC World Test Championship assignment next year.
As per the Sydney Morning Herald, Hazlewood is unlikely to feature in two Lanka Tests. He had already missed the last two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India after sustaining a calf strain in the third Test at Brisbane. Australia has already made it to the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 and with Sri Lanka series barely a dead-rubber series, selectors would not need to rush Hazlewood back into the playing eleven for Sri Lanka Tests starting from January 29 onwards. The selectors will be meeting on Wednesday for squad finalisation, which could have as much as 16 players for Tests and announcement is expected by Thursday. Skipper Pat Cummins has also indicated he would not be available for the tour, because he is expecting his second child with wife Becky and has just delivered a hectic, five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign, which saw him top team's wicket-taking charts with 25 and also make some useful runs with the bat, including knocks of 49 and 41 at Melbourne during the Boxing Day Test. Cummins and Mitchell Starc were picked as the two only frontline pacers during the last Sri Lanka tour three years back, which ended level at 1-1. Selectors will also be picking up the white-ball squad of the ICC Champions Trophy, taking place in Pakistan and UAE from February 19 to March 9, as per Sydney Morning Herald. The 37-year-old spin legend Nathan Lyon is also expected to play a major role in Sri Lanka series despite dealing with a hip complaint and got it checked on Monday, a day after Australia's BGT series win. Cricket Australia is confident that Lyon will be playing both SL Tests and is likely to be partnered by off spinner Todd Murphy or left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann. "We have worked with each player to form individualised plans which will best support recovery from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and preparation for upcoming international commitments," Cricket Australia's manager of national teams Ben Oliver said on Tuesday as quoted by Sydney Morning Herald. "A five-Test match series is gruelling, and this was amplified by the intensity of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The players and staff deserve great credit for their preparation and management which has enabled sustained performance through what is a full international schedule," he added. Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell's chances of Test recall appear slim as selectors are considering West Australia's young all-rounder Copper Connolly for the squad. Possible Test squad for Sri Lanka: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Peter Handscomb, Nathan McSweeney/Cooper Connolly, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, Sean Abbott, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Jhye Richardson. (ANI)
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