Josh Hazlewood 'not sure' of his return in fourth Ashes Test against England

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Melbourne, Dec 26: Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood - who had a "slight tear" in his rib cage muscle - is "not sure" if he would be available for the fourth Test against England starting at Sydney from January 5, in the ongoing Ashes series.

Hazlewood, who had taken three wickets in the opening Test against England, missed the second and third matches in Adelaide and Melbourne, due to the injury which was earlier believed to be a "side strain".

"I'm still a little bit away, (this Test) is probably a week early," Hazlewood told SEN. "We're still not sure, we're going to take this week as it comes and likely have a bowl on Day 3 or Day 5, see how that goes and then build up from there.

"The workloads are still there from the first Test, but obviously I haven't had a bowl in 10-12 days and we'll see how it goes on Day 3." The 30-year-old said he will look to bowl at the nets on the third day of the Boxing day Test and will rely more on feel than on medical assessment.

"It's probably more on feel this one, it's a bit of an interesting one, it's the intercostal in between the ribs, there's a slight tear," Hazlewood said.

"I've never had it before, I've had the normal oblique side strain, which is the common one, but we're taking each day as it comes and we'll make the decisions on basically how I feel." Intercostal muscles are a group of intrinsic rib cage muscles.

Earlier in the day, former England captain Michael Vaughan said he "can't fathom" why experienced pacer Stuart Broad was not included in the playing XI and believed the tourists have "got pretty much everything wrong" so far in Australia.

England, who are lagging 0-2 in the five-match series, left out Broad along with three others for the Boxing Day Test, which began here on Sunday. "I look at someone like Stuart Broad, in Brisbane he wasn't selected on that green top there, he's not selected here," Vaughan, who led England to 26 wins in 51 Tests, including the 2005 Ashes, said on Fox Cricket.

"How England have not seen Stuart Broad, with all his experience, such a wonderful Test career, is not going to be bowling a ball on a green top in Brisbane and now not here in Melbourne, that's staggering really.

"So far the only thing they've done right on the trip is turn up on time. They've got pretty much everything wrong - selection, tactics have not quite been right. "Stuart Broad should be playing here (in Melbourne), he should've played in Brisbane. How Stuart Broad is not going to be bowling around the wicket to David Warner on a green top, I just can't fathom that with the quality that he brings."

Spin legend Shane Warne also echoed his voice. "England looks a better-balanced side - but I would have played @StuartBroad8 instead of Robinson & Pope looks a good player to me, but Bairstow had to play," he wrote on his Twitter handle.

(With PTI inputs)