Josh Hazlewood given the all-clear from fitness concerns however Abbott out of Ashes Test

Josh Hazlewood cricket action

Josh Hazlewood has taken 295 international wickets with an average of 24.21 in 76 Tests

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The green light was given to Hazlewood to become part of Australia's squad ahead of the opening Ashes match post-injury worries, but fellow pace bowler the paceman has been ruled out

Both suffered hamstring issues while representing NSW in the Victoria clash in the Sheffield Shield on Wednesday

Medical examinations revealed Hazlewood (34) escaped muscle damage. Abbott, 33, who hasn't played Tests, suffered a moderate-level injury

Team captain Cummins is out of the initial match, starting November 21, meaning the absence of a key pace option such as Hazlewood might have represented a major blow

Abbott would have been doubtful to feature in Perth, with Hazlewood set to join Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland forming the fast bowling unit

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

Batsman Steve Smith will lead Australia during the captain's recovery

Like many of Australian cricketers, the bowler took part in ongoing fixtures of Sheffield Shield matches in preparation for the England series

Prior to recently, he had not played domestic first-class games for New South Wales in more than a year

He experienced stiffness in his leg muscle towards the end of Victoria's second innings during the match and was substituted for safety reasons

Neither Hazlewood nor Abbott batted in their team's second batting effort during their defeat by 300 runs

"We have one week from the Test series - always err on precautionary measures," stated the captain

"They needed to determine the nature of the problem before pushing it and potentially making anything worse"

"Uncommon to see him chipper, so it was good to see him smiling"

"He knows his body thoroughly. I think he was somewhat concerned (and desired medical assessment"

The bowler collected 57 appearances representing Australia in white-ball cricket

Without Test experience Brendan Doggett represents additional pace options within the team, providing cover for the main pace trio

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