Hazlewood cleared of fitness concerns however Sean Abbott out of Test

Josh Hazlewood has been cleared to become part of the Aussie lineup ahead of the opening Ashes match post-injury worries, although compatriot Abbott will miss the match

Both suffered hamstring issues during their match for NSW in the Victoria clash during Sheffield Shield action on Wednesday

Tests indicated Hazlewood, 34 avoided tissue injury. Abbott, 33, who hasn't played Tests, has a moderate-level injury

Skipper Pat Cummins is out of the initial match, beginning on 21 November, so the loss of a key pace option like Hazlewood would have been a serious concern

Abbott was unlikely to play in Perth, as Hazlewood prepares to team up Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland as the primary pace attack

Cummins, who is recovering from back issues, is thought to be on track to return for the Brisbane match commencing December fourth

Top-order player Smith will captain the side while Cummins is out

Similar to most the Australia players, Hazlewood participated in ongoing fixtures of state games ahead of the Ashes

Prior to recently, he hadn't featured a first-class match with his state team in more than a year

He experienced stiffness in his posterior chain during the final stages of Victoria's second innings during the match and left the field as a precaution

Neither Hazlewood nor Abbott batted in the follow-on innings during their defeat in a substantial margin

"There's seven days until the Test matches - we consistently choose the side of caution," stated the captain

"The medical staff sought to identify the nature of the problem before pushing it and potentially making anything worse"

"Uncommon to see him chipper, therefore it was positive to see him smiling"

"He knows his body extremely well. I think he was somewhat concerned (and) wanted to get it checked out"

Abbott has won 57 appearances for Australia in white-ball cricket

Without Test experience Brendan Doggett provides bowling backup among the selections, offering support to the main pace trio