Josh Hazlewood cleared from fitness concerns but Sean Abbott out of Ashes Test

Hazlewood received clearance to link up with the Australian team ahead of the opening Ashes match post-injury worries, but fellow pace bowler Abbott has been ruled out

Each encountered muscle problems during their match for NSW against Victoria in domestic cricket this past Wednesday

Tests indicated the 34-year-old Hazlewood did not sustain a muscle strain. The 33-year-old Abbott, yet to debut, has a "moderate grade" injury

Team captain Cummins is out of the first Test, commencing later this month, meaning the absence of another experienced fast bowler such as Hazlewood might have represented a major blow

The bowler stood unlikely to play at the Perth match, with Hazlewood set to join fellow quicks Starc and Boland as the primary pace attack

Cummins, who is recovering from spinal concerns, is thought to be on track to return during the next Test in Brisbane starting on 4 December

Batsman Steve Smith takes over leadership during the captain's recovery

Similar to most Aussie squad members, Hazlewood is involved in ongoing fixtures of state games ahead of the historic rivalry

Prior to recently, he hadn't featured red-ball cricket representing NSW in more than a year

He experienced stiffness in his hamstring near the conclusion of the opposition's batting on Wednesday and was substituted for safety reasons

Neither Hazlewood nor Abbott participated in batting for their team's second batting effort in a losing cause in a substantial margin

"We're a week away until the Test matches - we consistently choose the side of caution," said Cummins

"They wanted to find out the exact situation ahead of risking and possibly causing the condition"

"It's rare to get him chipper, therefore it was positive observing his positive demeanor"

"He's aware of his condition extremely well. I think he was somewhat concerned (and desired medical assessment"

Abbott has won 57 appearances with the national team in white-ball cricket

The yet-to-debut Doggett represents additional pace options in the squad, offering support to the primary fast bowlers