Australia’s decision to rush back Josh Hazlewood for the Gabba Test backfired as the 32-year-old broke down in the middle of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and potentially runs the risk of missing the remainder of the ongoing Test, and the series, as well.

Hazlewood, who suffered a side strain in the series opener in Perth last month, and missed the second Test in Adelaide, left the field following the first drinks break on day four of the third Test after hurting his right calf during Australia’s warm-ups on Tuesday morning. He bowled one over in the first session before leaving the field.

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Medical scans later in the day confirmed he had strained his right calf and is likely to miss the rest of the series. “A squad replacement will be made in due course,” said a CA spokesperson.

On the penultimate day of the Test, the star quick was late entering the field at the start of play, having spent time talking with head coach Andrew McDonald and physio Nick Jones. Having laboured hard for his only over of the day, Hazlewood took part in a lengthy conversation with captain Pat Cummins, his deputy Steve Smith and Jones during the drinks break before making his way out of the field.

“He’s pretty despondent. Felt it this morning in warm-ups, gave it a good crack, it’s just unfortunate for him to come back, put so much effort after another injury with the side strain, then to pick up a calf strain here, particularly in these circumstances is really tough on him,” said Daniel Vettori, Australia’s assistant coach.

Hazlewood’s potential exit from the series, opens the door for Scott Boland, who impressed in his absence at the Adelaide Oval, returning with a match haul of five wickets. Boland, who claimed a remarkable 6 for 7 on debut against England in 2021-22, is the frontrunner to replace Hazlewood at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the venue of the Boxing Day Test against India.

Cummins had flagged the potential for Boland to play a further role in the series after he was benched to accommodate Hazlewood for the Gabba Test.

“[We told him] it’s about preparing for the MCG because there’s a good chance we might need you. History suggests there’s always some form of natural attrition throughout a Test series. A good thing [is], he’s probably played a Test earlier in the series than he maybe thought. Showed that his standard’s still super high. [It’s] about trying to set him up for the last two Test matches,” Cummins had said.

The injury-prone Hazlewood previously suffered a mild calf strain earlier in the year which kept him out of the T20Is against Scotland and England. Overall, Hazlewood has missed 18 of Australia’s last 35 Tests dating back to the 2021-22 Ashes.

In the scenario of him missing the entirety of the India series, Hazlewood’s next opportunity to don the whites could come in Sri Lanka from late January depending on the team’s composition in sub-continent conditions.