Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the second Test against England in Brisbane, although there is optimism that he will feature later in the Ashes series. Meanwhile, Pat Cummins is edging closer to a return, with the possibility of rejoining the side as early as next week at the Gabba.

Hazlewood missed the opening Test in Perth after sustaining a hamstring issue during a Sheffield Shield match. Initial scans did not reveal significant damage, but the fast bowler was still deemed unfit to play. He is expected to link up with the squad in Brisbane, where he will continue his rehabilitation. Head coach Andrew McDonald remains confident that Hazlewood will be available for selection later in the Ashes.

"He's working through the first week of his rehab. I'm not sure that we need to give an update on that. Once he gets further down the track and [we] have some rough timelines, then we'll be in a position to communicate that. I know that he'll be available at some point during the series. We've got a little bit of that early rehab to go through to formulate where he may plug into the series, but we expect him to take some part in the series,” said McDonald as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

The rapid two-day conclusion to the opening Test has prompted a slight adjustment to Cummins’ bowling schedule after he had impressed during training in the lead-up to the match. He had originally been expected to bowl on the fourth day of the Test on Monday, but after returning home to Sydney, a day has delayed that session.

Despite the change in plans, the signs remain positive for Australia’s captain. However, McDonald noted that a decision on the New South Wales bowler's participation in the day-night Test in Brisbane could be left until late. Should Cummins return, and the second Test extend to the full five days, an unlikely scenario based on the quick finish in Perth, there would be an eight-day turnaround before the third Test in Adelaide.

"Once we see him again we'll be able to then join the dots as to what that potentially looks like. But for those who saw him in Perth, I did say this a while back that he'll be up and bowling...and people will be sitting there questioning why he's not playing,” said McDonald.

"It looked like a player that was nearing the completion of his rehabilitation. The intensity was there, the ball speed was there. There's a lot of positives, but now it's just really building that resilience within the soft tissue and making sure that we're not putting him in harm's way in terms of accelerating it too much. But it will be a genuine discussion leading into this Test match. That may be one that eventuates late for us. A little bit to work through but it's nearing completion, which is really, really positive,” he added.

The second Test is slated to begin on December 4, and will be played at the Gabba, Brisbane in a Pink Ball affair.