Josh Hazlewood cleared from fitness concerns but Abbott out of Test
The bowler has claimed 295 Test scalps at an average of 24.21 across 76 Test matches
The green light was given to Hazlewood to join the Aussie lineup ahead of the opening Ashes match after an injury scare, however, teammate Sean Abbott has been ruled out
Both suffered hamstring issues while representing NSW against Victoria in domestic cricket on Wednesday
Medical examinations revealed the 34-year-old Hazlewood avoided tissue injury. The 33-year-old Abbott, yet to debut, has a significant hamstring issue
Team captain Cummins is unavailable for the initial match, beginning on 21 November, therefore missing of another established pace bowler such as Hazlewood would have been a serious concern
Abbott was doubtful to feature at the Perth match, with Hazlewood set to join Starc and Boland as the specialist seamers
Cummins, who is recovering from back issues, is thought to be on track to return for the second Test commencing December fourth
Batsman Steve Smith will lead Australia in Cummins' absence
Like many of Aussie squad members, Hazlewood is involved in the current round of state games building up to the historic rivalry
Before this week, he hadn't featured domestic first-class games representing NSW for over twelve months
He noticed discomfort in his leg muscle during the final stages of Victoria's second innings during the match exiting the play taking preventive measures
Neither Hazlewood nor Abbott came out to bat during their team's second batting effort in a losing cause by 300 runs
"There's seven days from the Test series - we consistently choose the side of caution," commented Cummins
"They wanted to find out what was happening prior to testing it and potentially making the condition"
"It's rare to get him upbeat, therefore it was positive to see him smiling"
"He's aware of his condition really well. He appeared somewhat concerned (and) wanted to get professional evaluation"
The bowler collected 57 appearances representing Australia in limited-overs formats
The yet-to-debut Brendan Doggett is the other seamer in the squad, offering support to the primary fast bowlers
