Hazlewood injured as Tigers' lead grows

Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of Australia's Qantas Tour of Bangladesh after it was confirmed the fast bowler suffered a left side injury during the first Test in Dhaka.

Hazlewood will be able to bat if required in Australia’s second innings and will fly back to Australia following the conclusion of the Test.

Cricket Australia will name a replacement in the Test squad tomorrow.

QUICK SINGLE Day three report, highlights

The right-armer has also been ruled out of next month’s five-game ODI series in India.

Day three wrap: Warner has Aussies well placed

Having sent down 15 overs on day one and two more on Monday, Hazlewood was seven balls into his first spell on day three of the first Test when he was forced from the field with a sore left side.

The New South Welshman clutched at the region, before motioning to captain Steve Smith that he would need to leave the field and have the issue assessed.

Hazlewood didn't bowl for the remainder of the innings as Australia bowled Bangladesh out for 221.

Hazlewood takes his hat and Ashton Agar completed the over // Getty

It means that less than three months out from the first ball of the Magellan Ashes, three of Australia's centrepiece quartet of fast bowlers are injured, with paceman Pat Cummins – somewhat ironically, given his history of ailments – the only fit member of the 'Big Four'.

Hazlewood joins Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson on the sidelines, and while there are no signs the trio aren't on track to make recoveries ahead of the summer, their injury status will no doubt be subject to forensic examination in the lead-in to the Ashes.

Starc suffered a broken bone in his foot on Australia's tour of India in March, while Pattinson was withdrawn from the Bangladesh tour as a precaution after scans showed an inflammation in his back around the area he has previously suffered a stress fracture.

Back-up quick Jackson Bird would appear the most likely replacement for Hazlewood for the second Test in Chittagong, though he was overlooked in similar circumstances on Australia's tour of India earlier this year.

On that occasion, Cummins came straight off the plane to replace the injured Starc for the third and fourth Tests.

What may count in Bird's favour this time however is the fact he'll likely be viewed as a like-for-like replacement for Hazlewood; both are tall right-armers who rely on relentless accuracy and a touch of movement rather than out-and-out pace.

It would be unusual for Australia to not call up an extra fast bowler to join the squad for the second Test, with Jason Behrendorff, Chris Tremain and Chadd Sayers seemingly at the front of the queue.

That trio, along with Bird, were the seam options selected for the abandoned Australia A tour of South Africa earlier this year.

Western Australia quick Nathan Coulter-Nile, who was picked for the Test tour of Sri Lanka last year, could be in the mix, while towering quick Billy Stanlake was awarded his first national contract earlier this year.

More to come

Australia in Bangladesh 2017

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade.

Bangladesh squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (c), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Taijul Islam, Imrul Kayes, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Liton Das, Mosaddek Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shafiul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman.

27-31 August First Test, Dhaka

4-8 September Second Test, Chittagong