Report: Josh Hazlewood may miss upcoming Sri Lanka tour

Australia will play against Sri Lanka in two Tests starting on January 29, it looks like Australia's going to be down a player because Josh Hazlewood probably can't play. Hazlewood's one of their top fast bowlers, but he's having trouble with his calf that keeps getting worse and he's also recovering from a side strain. That makes hard for him to join the tour.

The Sydney Morning Herald said Hazlewood might have to miss the next test matches in Sri Lanka because he suffering with calf playing in the third test against India. Because of this, he already missed the last two games of the Border Gavaskar Trophy series. The Australian team's selectors are planning to choose up to 16 players for the series, We need to find out the official group by Thursday.

The team for the Champions Trophy is being picked, and it's going to happen in Pakistan and the UAE from February 19 to March 9. The selectors are prioritizing Hazlewood's long term fitness, because the Ashes series and the World Test Championship final against South Africa in June are of significant consequence but with Hazlewood hurt and captain Pat Cummins not in the game, Australia's fast bowling isn't going to be as strong.

In Sri Lanka, the pitches are usually good for spin bowling, so Nathan Lyon might find things difficult. Three years ago, when Australia last played a Test in Galle, Lyon bowled a 64 overs and performed well. Recently, he's important again but the team's also thinking about other spinners, like Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy in case they need extra choices.

ALSO READ: Ravi Shastri Slams BCCI Over Improper Communication on Mohammed Shami Fitness