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Australia senior pacer Josh Hazlewood will not participate in the three-match T20I series against Scotland preceding the England white-ball affair due to a calf injury sustained during training. Fellow speedster Riley Meredith has been added to the squad following a promising stint with Somerset in the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup.
Hazlewood's injury is expected to be minor and he will be in contention for the entirety of the white-ball series against England. However, rotation among the pacers is expected, keeping the crucial Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the end of the year in mind.
Hazlewood's injury comes soon after left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson was ruled out of the entire tour of Scotland and England due to a side strain he suffered while playing for the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred 2024. On that occasion, Cricket Australia (CA) named Sean Abbott as a replacement.
Australia's squad for the Scotland T20Is largely features a second-string side, with the bowling unit including prospects like Zavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, and Aaron Hardie.
Australia's updated squad for Scotland T20Is
Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Riley Meredith, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
Hazlewood's replacement Meredith last played a T20I in 2021
Riley Meredith came into the spotlight after clocking 150kmph consistently and had a fruitful stint with the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League (BBL). He went on to earn a bumper IPL contract with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) ahead of IPL 2021 and made his international debut the same year as well.
He has played one ODI and five T20Is, all coming in 2021. The right-arm pacer has taken eight wickets in his T20I career at an average of 23.50 and an economy rate of 9.98. His last appearance came during Australia's tour of the West Indies, where he conceded 57 runs in his four overs.
Australia's tour of Scotland is scheduled to begin on September 4, with all three matches to be hosted by the Grange Cricket Club in Edinburgh.
