Josh Hazlewood ruled out of Ashes opener in Perth in blow to Australia's hopes against England

Australian quick Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the opening Ashes Test match against England in Perth with a hamstring injury.

Hazlewood left New South Wales's Sheffield Shield match against Victoria on Wednesday complaining of tightness in his hamstring, but initial scans looked to have cleared him of injury.

But subsequent scans have confirmed a low-grade hamstring strain which will rule him out of the first Test.

Cricket Australia confirmed Hazlewood would not travel to Perth.

Hazlewood joins captain Pat Cummins on the sidelines for the first Test, leaving Australia's bowling stocks heavily depleted.

Queensland's Michael Neser will now join the Australian squad, replacing both Hazlewood and Sean Abbott who suffered his own injury earlier this week.

Neser is in the frame to add to his two Test matches so far, though Brendan Doggett now looms as a likely debutant at Perth Stadium.

In contrasting news for England, speedster Mark Wood has been cleared of his own hamstring injury.

Wood experienced tightness in his left hamstring after bowling his eighth over on the opening day of England's three-day warm-up match at Lilac Hill on Thursday.

The 35-year-old was playing his first match since undergoing knee surgery in March and the hamstring niggle has raised big doubts about his durability.

But scans have cleared him of any damage, and although Wood isn't expected to bowl for England on the final day of the warm-up match on Saturday, he will train next week in a bid to prove his fitness for the first Test, starting Friday.

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