Ashes: Josh Hazlewood to miss third Test, but Mitchell Starc & Marcus Harris set to play

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Josh Hazlewood will miss out on the third Test with a side strain, despite suggestions from Australia coach Justin Langer that Mitchell Starc will play.

Starc felt a twinge in his back during the second Test, after bowling more than 75 overs in the series.

Scott Boland has been added to the squad, and Pat Cummins should return for the third Test.

"It's nice to have a place where you can learn to bowl," said Langer.

Australia won the second Test in Adelaide by an enormous margin to take a 2-0 lead in the five-Test series.

If they don't lose in the famous Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, they will retain the urn after a 2-2 draw in England in 2019.

Starc took 6-80 in the first Test, but then took 43.1 overs in the second.

"Mitch Starc was the man of the match last game," said Langer. He's incredibly fit and an unbelievable athlete.

He is a credit to himself because of his resilience to come back over and over again. He was the leader of the attack.

I would be very surprised if he didn't get up for Boxing Day.

The injured Hazlewood will spend Christmas in Melbourne.

The player chose that option because he had already made plans to spend the holiday with his partner's family, not because there would be a late bid to get him ready to play.

After missing the second Test because he was a Covid-19 close contact, Cummins will return to his new job as captain.

"I found out at midnight about what was happening with Patty Cummins," said Langer, who took over as coach in May.

Everyone stayed calm and got on with their work.

Marcus Harris has scored just 38 runs across his four appearances in the series, the lowest of any specialist batter from either side.

"He'll play in the Test, no worries about that," said Langer.

This is his home. He's dominated domestic cricket despite not making the runs that he would have liked. He can play. He showed some of it in Test cricket.

We're hopeful that he'll keep improving. He is not far off.

We want a long term partnership. We've changed a lot over the last few years, and that's a testament to how many opening partners Davey Warner has had.