Scott Boland appears likely to come straight back into Australia’s XI for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, but questions are being asked after Josh Hazlewood suffered a calf injury at the Gabba on Tuesday. Hazlewood was under an injury cloud coming into the third Test after missing the previous match in Adelaide due to a side strain.

The Aussies thought he’d proven his fitness and was right to go for the Gabba Test, but he broke down on Tuesday and had to leave the field. The Aussie team released a statement that Hazlewood was experiencing “calf awareness” and would head for scans, putting his chances of playing the remainder of the series in serious doubt.

Hazlewood has battled a number of injury issues in recent years, with the 33-year-old struggling to stay on the field. It came as a brutal blow for Pat Cummins and the Aussie team on Tuesday as they sought to bowl out India twice at the Gabba without having to bat again.

After making 445 in their first innings, the Aussies were desperate to bowl India out for 245 or less in order to enforce the follow-on. With plenty of rain forecast for Brisbane on days four and five, it appeared the only chance Australia had to secure victory.

Mitch Marsh will be forced to do more bowling with Hazlewood off the field, while the Aussies will also rely heavily on Nathan Lyon. Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head will also likely be called upon to shoulder some of the load, as Australia will be wary of bowling Cummins and Mitchell Starc into the ground ahead of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

Scott Boland tipped to come back into XI for Boxing Day

One silver lining from Hazlewood’s latest injury is that Boland will come straight back into the XI. The Victorian was brilliant in Australia’s win in Adelaide, but was axed for Hazlewood’s return in Brisbane.

Boland loves playing at the MCG and famously took 6-7 in his Test debut against England in 2021. Journalist Peter Lalor said on Channel 7 on Tuesday: “That is the one positive that comes out of this situation. They love Scott Boland in Melbourne. We saw what he did [three] summers back. An MCG specialist is Scott Boland.”

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On Fox Cricket, Isa Guha and Kerry O’Keefe suggested Hazlewood might have pushed to play at the Gabba knowing he might skip the MCG Test because of how good Boland is there. “They leave no stone unturned when it comes to the bowlers and making sure that they are fit and ready to go and can get through a full Test match,” Guha said.

“Whether Josh Hazlewood felt he wanted to try and get through this Test it was a bit of a risk to take. But knowing they had Scott Boland as a reinforcement perhaps for the last two Test matches and given the importance of this one and getting ahead.”

O’Keeffe added: “Trying to look at the Australian strategy, I think they had in mind that Hazlewood should play this and miss Melbourne. Melbourne is by a long way his worst pitch in Australia and then Starc miss Sydney, which is a long way his worst pitch in Australia.

“So I think they factored in that Hazlewood was going to play this one and that Boland, who loves the MCG would come in for Melbourne. And that may well be the case now anyway. The Boland numbers are irresistible. But questions will be asked, was he (Hazlewood) fit going into this game?” And that question was certainly being asked by pundits and fans on social media.