SL vs AUS: Another Headache for Australia, this fast bowler will miss the Sri Lanka tour

The selection woes of Australia have increased following the injury of Hazlewood and it's reported that he won't be travelling to Sri Lanka for taking part in the two-match Test-Series

The Australian Men's Cricket Team defeated Team India in the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series by a margin of 3-1 and this series victory helped them to qualify for their 2nd successive World Test Championship (WTC) final. While thier final qualification is already secured, the Kangaroos are scheduled to take part in one more Test-Series in the ongoing WTC cycle. 

They will be travelling to Sri Lank to take part in a two-match Test-Series and their Test Skipper Pat Cummins will not be a part of this tour as he will be away on paternal duty. Moreover, the Kangaroos will also be travelling without ace seamer Josh Hazlewood who injured himself in the India Test-Series. 

According to a news report of the Sydney Herald, since the Aussies have already confirmed their WTC final spot, they don't want to take any kind of risks with Hazlewood.The 33-year-old who hurt his calf in the Gabba Test-Match versus the Men in Blue got ruled out of the remainder of the BGT series and he had previously said that he was aiming to make a comeback to Australia's first Test-Series versus the Sri Lankans since 2022.

The trio of Starc, Boland and Abbott will go on the tour of Sri Lanka

According to some sources of the Sydney Morning Herald, since Josh won't get the opportunity to travel to Sri Lanka as the selectors don't want to risk him, the duo of Sean Abbot and the in-form Scott Boland will be travelling as the seamers alongside Mitchell Starc. 

Boland was in red hot form in the BGT series versus the Indians, dismissing 21 batters in just six innings with a mind blowing average of 13.19. He also picked up an important fifer in the series and his performance with the ball were crucial in his team's success in the five-match Series. 

Abbot on the other hand was called up to the squad but he didn't get a chance to feature in any of the matches. With Cummins and Hazlewood missing the Sri Lanka series, there are high chances of Abbott playing versus the Island nation. 

What's the news about Australian skipper Pat Cummins

The selectors will meet on Wednesday of this week to finalise their squad. 16 players can be selected for the tour and The team is expected to be announced on Thursday, 9th of January

Captain Pat Cummins has indicated that he will not be available for part or all of the tour as he awaits the birth of his 2nd child. It will also have to be seen how he recovers from fatigue after playing five consecutive Test matches against India. Cummins and Starc were selected as Australia's only two frontline fast bowlers for the Sri Lanka tour three years ago, which was tied 1-1.

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