With less than 24 hours to go for the Gabba Test, Australia have revealed their playing eleven. The hosts make a solitary change by dropping Scott Boland who will make way for Josh Hazlewood. The Australian skipper Pat Cummins confirmed that the ace pacer has regained his fitness after suffering an injury in the first Test and is ready to hit the ground running in Brisbane. 

It was by no means a straightforward decision for the management to make. Hazlewood was sidelined from the Adelaide Test after picking up a side injury. Coming in as his replacement, Scott Boland played an instrumental role with the ball to power Australia to a thumping 10-wicket win helping his side level the series 1-1. 

See also: Marsh available to deliver with the ball in Gabba Test

Cummins sheds light on Hazlewood's selection over Boland

Despite his promising exploits in Adelaide which saw him get rid of Jaiswal, Kohli, Gill, and Rohit, Boland was forced to make way at the expense of Hazlewood. The New South Wales bowler has had to cope with a myriad of injuries throughout his career and the selectors had to mindful of reintroducing him too quickly for the second Test.

But during his conversation with the reporters on Friday, Cummins stated that he is happy to see the way things are shaping up for Hazlewood after the injury. The quick was put through the paces in Adelaide and both the skipper and the medical staff are pleased with how he is hold up.

"He's had no hiccups. He had a really good bowl yesterday, he had another bowl in Adelaide a couple of days previously. Him and the medical team are really confident."

However, Cummins does not rule out the possibility of not having Boland feature for the remainder of the Test series. Boland had been away from the international scene for an eternity but despite his long absence, Cummins thinks highly of him. The Australian skipper hopes to see him in action and play a decisive role at some point in the series. 

"It’s tough. He was fantastic in Adelaide and unfortunately, he’s spent quite a lot of time on the bench in the last 18 months and whenever he plays he’s fantastic. It’s a shame for Scotty but there’s still a fair bit to play out this series so I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t get another crack at some point."

Australia's playing eleven for the third Test

Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh is all in readiness to fire with the ball for his side in the upcoming Gabba Test. Marsh, 33, has instilled a great deal of trust in the coaching and medical staff who played a key role in his recovery prior to the start of the five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series. The all-rounder has faced prior issues with his back since the limited-overs tour to the UK in September where he only bowled once after a hiatus of nearly five months. 

Marsh was expected to feature with the ball in the Sheffield Shield early this season but the plans never materialized as persistent problems with the back proved to be a major hindrance in his bowling. However, despite his difficulties with the back, Marsh managed to leave an impact with the ball in the Perth Test bowling a marathon 17 overs and finishing with two valuable wickets to his name. 

See also: Australia's pace trio signed as BBL supplementary players

Marsh extends his gratitude to McDonald and the rest of the medical staff

Marsh admits that he was slightly underutilized in the build-up to the series. But at the same time, he expresses his desire to play his part with the ball should the need arise. He further adds that he is ready to bowl as many overs as possible for his skipper and makes it clear that there is no upper limit to how many he can bowl.

"I'll try and be ready to bowl as much as Patty needs me. Our allrounders haven't bowled a hell of a lot in Australia the last few years, but I am really thankful for our medical staff and Ronny [coach Andrew McDonald] and Patty who have allowed me the space between that first and second Test to just get right for the game. I didn't bowl as much as I would have liked to in the lead-up to the series, but our medical staff, Ronnie and Patty were really clear. I trusted that."

Furthermore, he also feels grateful for the role the medical and the coaching staff (including Andrew McDonald) played in getting him into the right head space before the start of the second Test. He feels that his back is more than ready to deal with the workload and wants to hit the ground running once he gets an opportunity with the ball in the upcoming Brisbane Test. 

How is Australia's pace battery shaping up ahead of Gabba Test?

Australia have been jolted by some injury concerns in their bowling department in this ongoing Test series. Josh Hazlewood, who initially sustained a lower side strain injury in the aftermath of the first Test was sidelined from the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. With the Gabba nets offering limited space to run, Hazlewood headed to the nearby Allan Border Field where he alongside Starc were put through the paces with an extended run-up. His fitness is closely being evaluated and if he pulls up right on Friday, he will be in a strong position to rejoin the team, potentially at the expense of Scott Boland.

Australian right-arm quick Josh Hazlewood is likely to make a return in the third Test of the Border Gavaskar trophy 2024-25 in Brisbane starting on December 14. The 33-year-old missed out on the day-night pink-ball Test which was held in Adelaide.

Scott Boland was called up as his replacement and he had a devastating impact on the tourists as he finished the game with combined figures of 5-104. Hazlewood's re-inclusion in the lineup can trigger a selection headache for the Australian think tank since there is very little to separate the two pacers based on their recent performances. 

See also: Mohammed Siraj claims Travis Head lied about heated moment in Adelaide Test

Hazlewood put through the paces in Adelaide

During the course of the second BGT Test in Adelaide, Hazlewood underwent a rigorous fitness test and was put through the paces. Although he toiled hard and went through extended spells without facing major difficulties, how he shapes up in the next 24 hours will determine his availability for selection.

So far, Hazlewood seems to be happy with how his body is responding to the workload but stresses that the next 24 hours will hold the key to determining his fate for the remainder of the series. 

"I think it'll be how I pull up in the 24 hours following it really. "Obviously two spells makes a big difference. Cooling down pretty much fully and then going again in the same day, and the intensity has got to be right up there as well. So a few boxes to tick, but it's probably the 24 hours that follow and pulling up again the next day and then thinking 'yeah, I'd be right to go again if I had to."

Hazlewood's past encounters with injury scares

Hazlewood has been plagued with a myriad of injury scares throughout his international career. The 33-year-old pacer has had to contend with injury problems and had to stay low between 2021 and 2023, a period in which he made only three Test match appearances. 

Although some of his omissions have been attributed to specific conditions, there were also two separate episodes of side issues that ruled him out of key Ashes games as well as the World Test Championship final against India last year. 

According to the fast bowler, the current injury felt different, and if it had been the last Test of the series, he might have backed himself to play in Adelaide. 

The ongoing five-match BGT Test series has come to life after Australia managed to stun India by 10 wickets in Adelaide to level the series 1-1. The attention now moves to Brisbane where Australia is likely to maintain their domination. With the World Test Championship (WTC) final on the horizon, the upcoming Brisbane fixture is of utmost importance for both sides.  

While India were struggling against the Australian pacers in the day-night pink ball Adelaide Test match, the new Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy stunned the cricket fans with his incredible shot.

The five-match Test series Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 has now entered the second round. Leading the series by 1-0, Indian captain Rohit Sharma chose to bat first. After the first ball dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill handled the early period really well. 

However, the left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc dominated from just before the dinner break to the end of the visitors’ innings. Powerful Starc recorded his best bowling figures in a Test innings, 14.1-2-48-6, and India were all out for 180 runs.

Watch: Siraj loses his cool over Labuschagne, hurls the ball back at him in anger

Brave Nitish Kumar Reddy scored crucial 42 runs

While the Indian batters struggled against the Aussie fast bowlers, Nitish Kumar Reddy showed his brave character with the bat. His firing 42 off 54 balls with the help of three fours and three sixes guided the visitors to cross the 150-run mark. 

The 21-year-old right-handed batter Reddy provided big proof of his understanding of the game, even when his team was massively under pressure on a challenging batting track. After Ravichandran Ashwin was dismissed for a run-a-ball 22 runs, where the experienced batter was in good touch before his dismissal, Reddy decided to charge the Aussie fast bowlers.  

Nitish Kumar Reddy hit an unorthodox sixer against Boland

Whether the bowler was Mitchell Starc or Scott Boland, Reddy had no hesitation if the ball reached his slot. It was the 42nd over of the innings when Reddy hit a sixer with an unorthodox shot. Boland delivered a length ball, and Reddy quickly set up a position to create a perfect reverse scoop to hit a sixer. It was the time when India had already lost eight wickets and Reddy was the only hope to add runs on the board. 

Although Reddy was dismissed by Mitchell Starc, it can’t shadow his outstanding cameo batting performance.    

THIS IS CINEMA! 🙌

Pink ball, seaming conditions & bowlers breathing fire - doesn't matter to #NitishReddy! 💪#AUSvINDOnStar 2nd Test 👉 LIVE NOW on Star Sports! #AUSvIND | #ToughestRivalry pic.twitter.com/IM9HaBrv63

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 6, 2024

The Adelaide day-night pink-ball Test match started in a dramatic fashion. After the opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed on the first ball, his opening partner KL Rahul got two huge lucks in one over.

After deciding to bat first, Rohit Sharma-led team India had a poor start as Yashsavi Jaiswal was dismissed on the first ball of the match as Mitchell Starc trapped him for a lbw. Since then, Shubman Gill has been playing very well while the other opener KL Rahul was struggling to get off the mark. 

No-ball saved KL Rahul's caught behind 

Scott Boland joined the Australian playing XI for the pink-ball Test as the replacement for the injured Josh Hazlewood. It was the first ball of Boland in this series, who came to bowl in the eighth over, and he was successful in trapping Rahul. The extra bounce worked in the favour of Boland as Rahul had a thick edge and was caught behind. While Rahul was walking back to the dressing room for 0 off 19 balls, English umpire Richard Illingworth signaled a no-ball, which saved the Indian opener.  

Usman Khawaja dropped Rahul

In that same over, Boland set up for another good opportunity. The Aussie pacer delivered a full-length ball that found a thick edge from Rahul’s bat and went to the first slip. Usman Khawaja was fielding at the first slip, and he dropped the low catch. 

Rahul scored 37 runs

Ultimately Rahul scored a crucial 37 runs off 64 balls with the help of six fours before Starc took his wicket just before the dinner. It was Starc's new spell, where the left-arm fast bowler set up a short-of-length delivery, an extra bounce trapped unconfident Rahul who had a thick edge. Nathan McSweeney took a sharp low catch at the gully. 

'KL'ucky Rahul! 😮‍💨#ScottBoland’s dramatic start to the #PinkBallTest: No-ball dismissal of #KLRahul on the first delivery and a dropped catch on the fifth ball! 🏏🎭

Will he make it BIG now? 👀#AUSvINDOnStar 2nd Test 👉 LIVE NOW on Star Sports! #AUSvIND | #ToughestRivalry pic.twitter.com/dCYLDKv2Pd

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 6, 2024