Australia received a major lift ahead of the day-night second Ashes Test, with injured pace spearheads Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins bowling in the nets on Tuesday. The development comes as a worrying sign for England, who were outplayed in the opening Test in Perth — a contest Australia wrapped up inside just two days with an emphatic eight-wicket win.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Hazlewood has been out of action since tweaking his hamstring during a Sheffield Shield fixture six days before the Perth Test. His absence opened the door for Brendan Doggett, while Cummins was sidelined by a lingering lower-back issue, forcing Scott Boland into the XI.
Both frontline quicks were spotted training at Cricket NSW headquarters during New South Wales’ ongoing Shield match against Tasmania. Local media images showed Cummins operating at full tilt with the pink ball, a clear indication of his preparation for the pink-ball Test in Brisbane on December 4. Hazlewood, still progressing through early rehab, bowled with a red ball, signalling a more cautious approach.Cummins admitted over the weekend that he was “half a chance” to return for the second Test after an encouraging nets session in Perth. Hazlewood, however, remains a major doubt despite steady progress.Head coach Andrew McDonald said Australia would make a final call closer to the match but expressed confidence that both quicks would feature at some stage during the series.“We expect him to take some part in the series,” McDonald said of Hazlewood. “There’s still early rehab to get through before we know exactly where he fits.”On Cummins, McDonald was notably more optimistic: “There’s a lot of positives. Now it’s about building resilience and not accelerating things too much.”With England reeling after their two-day collapse in Perth, the potential return of Cummins — and possibly Hazlewood — leaves Ben Stokes’ side facing even greater pressure heading into the crucial second Test.
