Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is confident of being ready to go for the World Test Championship final against England, but knows he’s unlikely to play all six Tests on the campaign.
Hazlewood, who only played one home Test last summer and didn’t play on the tour of India in February, was sent home early from the Indian Premier League to work on a side strain.
But he was selected, ahead of the red-hot Michael Neser, in Australia’s 15-man squad for next week’s showdown with India at The Oval and has bowled at near-full pace at a training session in London.
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The clash is the first of six Tests Australia will play in seven weeks, including the five-match Ashes against England. The 32-year-old is confident he’ll be ready to go for the early matches.
“My fitness is pretty good; it is just a matter of ticking off every session from here until that date (June 7), basically,” Hazlewood said.
“We will probably have anywhere from three to four more sessions – bat versus ball and then a couple of longer days in the nets as well, or centre wicket down in London – so it is just ticking off those last few boxes and pulling up well from every session.
“It was pretty close (to full pace today). I came down for a little bowl yesterday, just to loosen up and to get a bit more out of today’s session, so it is feeling good.
“After a long few travel days, it is always a case of the first one getting the cobwebs out and stretching out and doing some run-throughs, just to get the blood flowing.
“It is always good to get the first one out of the way and when we get to London we will steam in.”
With four fast bowlers in the squad, including captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Hazlewood, with Neser also in England, the workload could be shared across the Ashes.
It’s an idea Hazlewood knows has to happen if Australia is to win its first series in England since 2001.
“If you asked that question three years ago, I probably would have said I would have liked to play all six, but it is just different now,” Hazlewood said.
“It is just so tightly consumed together now and coming off not an ideal build up … but we have got enough quicks here and a couple of others playing County cricket to cover all bases.
“Pat is perhaps looking at (playing) all six, potentially depending how much we bowl in each, so you play it by ear a little bit.
“It is such a dense schedule; it is tough.”
The WTC final is set to begin June 7.