Josh Hazlewood had unexpected time at home in Sydney with his family on Sunday.

Rather than flying with the rest of the Australian squad to Perth, he is now staying put while he waits for a hamstring strain to settle.

Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the first Test in Perth.Credit: AP

Captain Pat Cummins is headed west to build up his bowling loads after back trouble, but Hazlewood is unclear about a return date.

That puts Australia’s Test team in difficult territory not truly charted for nearly a decade. Since the 2017-18 summer, there have only been two matches in which neither Cummins nor Hazlewood were available. Both ended in big Australian victories in Adelaide, against England in 2021 and West Indies the following year.

But these were to an extent one-offs. Cummins was back for the very next Test on both occasions, consistent with the high level........

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