Hazlewood ruled out of WTC final vs India due to side strain; Neser gets call-up
London, Jun 4: Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was on Sunday ruled out of the World Test Championship final after failing to recover from the side strain he picked up during his IPL stint, dealing a huge blow to his side ahead of the marquee match against India.
The WTC final is scheduled at the Oval from June 7-11.
Pacer Michael Neser replaced Hazlewood in the squad as the selectors hoped that the latter will recover to be fit for the Ashes series.
"Josh was very, very close to being given the green light but we are cognisant that our upcoming schedule means this is not a one-off Test match for us," Chair of Selectors George Bailey was quoted as saying in cricket.com.au.
Hazlewood had sustained the side strain during his injury-marred stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the recently-concluded IPL in which he played only three games without much success before flying back home.
Hazlewood had returned to bowling upon his return in Sydney, since scans had shown no damage or injury.
The five-Test Ashes series in England will start on June 16, and Hazlewood, who has already missed a plenty of Test cricket action for Australia, will get more time to be ready for the all-important series.
"This (break) will give Josh an ideal preparation leading into Edgbaston. With six Test matches in a little over seven weeks we will need all of our fast bowling assets." Bailey added.
Neser has been playing in the County Championship for Glamorgan this season and has been in fine rhythm, having taken 14 wickets in his last three games which includes 7/32 against Yorkshire. He has played two Tests for Australia and has got seven wickets.
"Michael's County form has been strong and knowing that he was going to be close by allowed for him to keep playing and for us to be able to call on him. He is a great strength to have as part of the fast bowling group," the former Australian skipper said.
However, it is fast medium bowler Scott Boland, who looks a more likely first XI starter in Hazlewood's absence, in conditions which suits seam-up, hit-the-deck the type of deliveries.
Coach Andrew McDonald said while his side is eager to win their maiden WTC title, the tight turnaround to the five-Test Ashes campaign remains a consideration in managing their fast bowlers.
"Definitely consideration for (the schedule) - we don't want to go too far ahead," McDonald told reporters.
Even though Hazlewood is considered one of the pillars of three-man Australia pace attack, the 32-year-old has not featured regularly in Test cricket, playing only four of the last 19 matches owing to a spate of injuries.
"We have got the WTC final to play, which we are excited about, but on the back of that we have to quickly turn our attention to England and the Ashes. There are short turnarounds there. That's nothing we are not used to.
"So, there'll always be considerations around management I'd say there'd be some moving parts amongst the quicks."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
DGCA revises air ticket refund norms; no addl charges for changes within 48 hrs of booking
New Delhi (PTI): Passengers can now cancel or change air tickets without paying additional charge within 48 hours of making the bookings subject to certain conditions, with aviation watchdog DGCA revising the ticket refund norms for airlines.
The option would not be available for domestic flight bookings where the departure date is less than 7 days and in the case of international bookings, the departure date should be not less than 15 days.
Coming out with the amended norms that are more passenger-friendly, DGCA also said that airlines should not levy any additional charge for correction in the name of the same person when the error is pointed out by the passenger within 24 hours of making the booking, when the ticket is booked directly through the airline's website.
"In case of purchase of ticket through travel agent/portal, onus of refund shall lie with the airlines as agents are their appointed representatives. The airlines shall ensure that the refund process is completed within 14 working days," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
Besides, there are changes with respect to norms for ticket cancellations due to a medical emergency faced by the passenger.
The amendments to the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) for 'Refund of Airline Tickets to Passengers of Public Transport Undertakings' comes against the backdrop of the rising passenger complaints about not receiving refunds on time.
The ticket refund issue also got highlighted during the IndiGo flight disruptions in December 2025 and at that time, the civil aviation ministry had directed the airline to complete the refunds within a specified timeline.
The revised CAR was issued on February 24.
Now, the airlines have been asked to provide 'Look-in option' for a period of 48 hours to passengers after booking tickets.
"During this period a passenger can cancel or amend the ticket without any additional charges, except for the normal prevailing fare for the revised flight for which the ticket is sought to be amended.
"This facility shall not be available for a flight whose departure is less than 7 days for domestic flight and 15 days for international flight from booking date when ticket is booked directly through airline website," the regulator said.
Beyond 48 hours of initial booking time, this option would not be available and the passenger would have to pay the relevant cancellation fees for amendment.
In a significant move, the watchdog said that airlines should not levy any additional charge for correction in name of the same person when the error is pointed out by the passenger within 24 hours of making the booking, when ticket is booked directly through airline website.
According to DGCA, in the event of ticket cancellations due to a medical emergency, where the passenger or a family member listed on the same PNR gets admitted/hospitalised during the travel period, airlines may provide either a refund or a credit shell.
"For all other situations, refunds will be issued once an opinion on the passenger's fitness to travel certificate is received from an airline's Aerospace Medicine specialist/ DGCA empanelled Aerospace Medicine specialist," it said.
In December 2025, scheduled airlines received a total of 29,212 passenger-related complaints and 7.5 per cent of them were related to refunds. During that month, domestic carriers carried over 1.43 crore passengers, as per DGCA data.
India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets and domestic airlines carried over 16.69 crore passengers in 2025.
