Usman Khawaja's Test return is confirmed as Australia announce their side for the SCG Test against England
Cummins confirms one change, Boland holds his spot
Scott Boland has held off challengers for his spot in Australia's XI while Usman Khawaja has been confirmed as Travis Head's replacement for the fourth Vodafone Ashes Test in Sydney.
Hazlewood's lingering side injury will see him miss a third straight match while Jhye Richardson is also not 100 per cent fit, meaning Boland will feature again following his MCG heroics.
Australia XI: Marcus Harris, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
England XI: Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson
Mitchell Swepson's wait for a Test debut will go on despite calls for the leg-spinner to play alongside Nathan Lyon at the SCG, with wet weather and a less spin-friendly surface than in previous years counting against him.
Khawaja, meanwhile, will bat at No.5 in his first Test since the 2019 Ashes tour, replacing Head who came down with COVID-19 last week and has remained in Melbourne.
Boland stunned England – and maybe even his own team – when he ripped the heart of the visitors in their second innings in Melbourne last week, snaring 6-7 including the scalp of skipper Joe Root to clinch a 3-0 series victory in rapid time.
Former Test captain Ricky Ponting was among those to immediately suggest the Victorian journeyman, who had been brought in specifically to play at his home ground as a 'horses for courses' pick, could conceivably not play Test cricket again if Hazlewood returned to full fitness.
And captain Pat Cummins confirmed today that Hazlewood would have played at his home venue had he been fit, but he and Richardson (leg) will both now turn their attention to the fifth Test in Hobart.
"It's no secret that if Joshy Hazlewood was available then he was going to play," Cummins told reporters. "He's been just a brilliant bowler for us for a long period of time.
"We gave Josh every chance we could, just felt like he couldn't bowl at full tilt yesterday. We're still hoping he'll be right for Hobart."
Boland was remarkably was not even in Australia's squad to begin the Ashes and was sixth in line for a fast-bowling position, also behind recent debutant Michael Neser.
His strong record at the MCG won him a berth there, while his numbers in Sheffield Shield games at the SCG are also impressive with 15 wickets at 24.73 at the venue.
And with a flatter wicket expected in Sydney than the surfaces produced for the first three Tests, Australia need a "bulldozer" (as Pat Cummins labelled Boland) as they look to take 20 English wickets again.
"You need that disciplined stump-to-stump bowler and that's what Scotty brings to the table," Cummins said.
"It's a real luxury for us to have someone like Scotty … we feel really well placed at the moment with so many options.
"It would have been a real shame to see Scotty not play this week after his efforts last week.
"I spent about five years sitting on one Test and I hated when people talked about it because I felt like I hadn't proven anything.
"He's bowling as well as he ever has, it's great that he can keep going from last week."
Rain is forecast for each day of the Test that gets underway on Wednesday, which Cummins believes will stop the SCG pitch from deteriorating as the match progresses.
"We're not going to blast them out. There's a little bit of grass on it but traditionally it's hard work and goes five days," he said.
Australia XI: Marcus Harris, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
England XI: Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson
Vodafone Men's Ashes
Squads
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nic Maddinson, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner
England: Joe Root (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Schedule
First Test: Australia won by nine wickets
Second Test: Australia won by 275 runs
Third Test: Australia won by an innings and 14 runs
Fourth Test: January 5-9, SCG
Fifth Test: January 14-18, Blundstone Arena