Overview
- Cricket Australia said follow-up imaging confirmed Josh Hazlewood’s hamstring strain, ruling him out of the Nov. 21 Test and keeping him from traveling to Perth.
- Queensland seamer Michael Neser has been added to Australia’s squad as cover, with Pat Cummins and Sean Abbott already unavailable.
- Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland are set to spearhead the hosts’ attack, with uncapped Brendan Doggett and Neser in contention for the remaining pace slot.
- The ECB confirmed Mark Wood was cleared of left‑hamstring damage after precautionary scans; he will skip the final warm‑up day at Lilac Hill and continue training.
- England must still decide whether to select Wood for Perth given his limited recent workload after knee surgery, having bowled only eight overs in the warm‑up.