Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has moved to ease fears about his long-term fitness after being ruled out of this week’s World Test Championship (WTC) final against India at The Oval.

The 32-year-old is recovering from a side issue that cut short his participation in the IPL, the latest in a string of injuries that have limited him to four Tests since January 2021.

“I am not playing Test matches, but I am still bowling for close to 50 weeks of the year,” Hazlewood told Australian Associated Press.

“That’s the frustrating bit. Just bowling in the past week or so here in England, it feels a bit easier.

“You have a nice Dukes ball, there is a bit doing, you don’t have to break your back every ball like you do in India or Australia or somewhere else. Hopefully that plays into my hands a little bit.”

Michael Neser will be the replacement for the WTC final after Hazlewood failed a fitness test but Scott Boland is widely tipped to be the third pacer in the side.

“You can get caught out a bit if you think too far ahead and where you will be in four years,” said Hazlewood. “I could still be playing then, I might not be. Being a fast bowler, not many walk off the field by their own choice. A lot of the time it comes through injury...”