Hazlewood cleared of injury however Abbott out of Test

Josh Hazlewood has been cleared to link up with Australia's squad for the initial Test against England after an injury scare, however, teammate Abbott is unavailable

Both suffered muscle problems while representing New South Wales in the Victoria clash in the Sheffield Shield on Wednesday

Scans showed Hazlewood (34) escaped a muscle strain. Abbott, 33, who hasn't played Tests, sustained a "moderate grade" injury

Skipper Pat Cummins will miss the first Test, starting November 21, so the loss of another established pace bowler in Hazlewood would have been a significant setback

Abbott was unlikely to play during the Western Australia Test, with Hazlewood set to join Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland as the primary pace attack

The captain, rehabilitating from spinal concerns, is expected to be likely to comeback for the second Test in Brisbane starting on 4 December

Top-order player Smith takes over leadership in Cummins' absence

Like many of the Australia players, the bowler took part in ongoing fixtures of domestic cricket building up to the Ashes

Until this match, he hadn't featured red-ball cricket representing NSW for over twelve months

He experienced stiffness in his hamstring near the conclusion of the opposition's batting during the match and left the field taking preventive measures

The two bowlers participated in batting for the follow-on innings in a losing cause in a substantial margin

"There's seven days before the international cricket - typically prefer the side of caution," said Cummins

"The medical staff sought to identify the nature of the problem ahead of risking and possibly causing the injury more severe"

"It's rare to get him chipper, making it encouraging observing his positive demeanor"

"He's aware of his condition thoroughly. I think he was slightly anxious (seeking to obtain professional evaluation"

Abbott earned 57 appearances with the national team in ODI and T20 cricket

The uncapped Doggett is the other seamer in the squad, offering support to Starc, Boland and Hazlewood