Australia coach Justin Langer has defended the decision to leave Josh Hazlewood out of the World Cup squad, reports Reuters.
Hazlewood expressed his frustration last week at first missing out on a place in the initial squad for England and then being overlooked as Jhye Richardson’s replacement.
“He just hasn’t been playing any cricket,” Langer said. “He’s come off a second stress fracture in his back and while he’s just starting to get up and running in the nets now - I think he’s played six white ball games in the last 18 months - that’s T20 and one-day cricket. “We know he’s a great bowler. He’s a brilliant bowler, but it was just such bad timing for him.”
World champions Australia head into the tournament on the back of an eight-match winning streak, including series wins away to Pakistan and India.
