2 hours ago
Hazlewood received clearance to join Australia's squad ahead of the opening Ashes match following fitness concerns, but fellow pace bowler Abbott is unavailable
The two experienced hamstring injuries during their match for New South Wales against Victoria in the Sheffield Shield recently
Medical examinations revealed Hazlewood (34) avoided a muscle strain. Abbott, 33, who hasn't played Tests, suffered a "moderate grade" injury
Skipper Pat Cummins is out of the first Test, starting November 21, so the loss of a key pace option in Hazlewood could have proven a serious concern
Abbott was doubtful to feature in Perth, with Hazlewood set to join Starc and Boland as the specialist seamers
The captain, rehabilitating from spinal concerns, appears to be likely to comeback for the Brisbane match beginning December 4 in Brisbane
Batsman Steve Smith takes over leadership during the captain's recovery
Similar to most Aussie squad members, the bowler took part in ongoing fixtures of Sheffield Shield matches in preparation for the historic rivalry
Until this match, he had not played domestic first-class games with his state team for over twelve months
He noticed discomfort in his hamstring during the final stages of the opposition's batting recently and was substituted taking preventive measures
The two bowlers batted in their team's second batting effort in a losing cause by three hundred runs
"We're a week away before the international cricket - we consistently choose precautionary measures," stated the captain
"They needed to determine the nature of the problem prior to testing it and possibly causing the condition"
"It's rare to get him upbeat, so it was good to witness his smile"
"He's aware of his condition thoroughly. I think he was slightly anxious (and) wanted to get it checked out"
The bowler collected 57 appearances for Australia in white-ball cricket
Without Test experience Brendan Doggett is the other seamer within the team, offering support to the primary fast bowlers
