Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins step up Ashes comebacks with intense net sessions in Sydney

Australia received encouraging news on Tuesday as Josh Hazlewood returned to the nets, stepping up his recovery from the hamstring injury that sidelined him for the opening Ashes Test in Perth.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

At the same time, Pat Cummins continued his own rehabilitation, practising with the pink ball as he works toward being available for the day-night Test at the Gabba following his recent back issue.

Both fast bowlers trained at Cricket Central in Sydney, where New South Wales were hosting Tasmania in their ongoing Sheffield Shield fixture.

Hazlewood's session centred around red-ball bowling, underlining Australia’s likely plan, a Gabba return appears improbable, with Adelaide shaping as the more realistic comeback venue for the pacer. This year’s Test in Adelaide will be played in the traditional daytime format.

Head coach Andrew McDonald reiterated on Monday that Hazlewood remains firmly in contention for later matches in the Ashes. “I know that he'll be available at some point during the series. We've got a little bit of that early rehab to go through to formulate where he may plug into the series, but we expect him to take some part in the series,” he said.