Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has taken the biggest steps on his path to a Test return after snaring two wickets in his first outing for nearly four months.
Hazlewood bowled three overs for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, taking 2-15, in his first match since the New Year’s SCG Test against South Africa in January.
The 32-year-old looms as a key plank in Australia’s attack for a massive six Test matches in England that begins with the World Test Championship final against India, then the highly-anticipated Ashes.
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Hazlewood hadn’t bowled in a match since injuring his achilles in Sydney, forced him to miss the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India.
The New South Welshman has been working on a recuperation program designed to get him ready for the WTC final on June 7 and said he was “more excited than nervous” about finally getting back.
“It has been a long while,” said Hazlewood, playing on a $1.4 million contract.
“I was excited more than nervous. It is great to be back here in front of some good fans.”
Hazlewood, who took 20 wickets at 21.85 in four matches during the last Ashes tour in 2019, has only played 11 of Australia’s 28 Tests since that series due to a string of injuries.
But he was picked in the 17-man Ashes squad with the expectation of rejoining Australia’s frontline attack alongside captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.
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National selectors were happy with Hazlewood to use the IPL to build up his bowling loads outside of games in the hope he could play as many of the six Tests in England as possible.
However, former Australian captain Michael Clarke believes Hazlewood should be focusing on preparing for the Ashes — Cummins and Starc withdrew from this year’s IPL to “take some rest” ahead of a busy winter campaign.
“I don’t know why he’s over playing IPL. I don’t know why he’s not over here in Australia preparing to play Test match cricket,” Clarke said.
“I know they’ll have people over there, in the nets he’ll be bowling more than what the IPL players are bowling, in preparation for Test match cricket.
“But I just don’t know if him bowling three overs, four overs right now is his best preparation for an Ashes series, after the injuries he’s had and the amount of time he’s had out of Test cricket.
“It’s great to see him back playing, there’s no doubt about it … but for Australian Test cricket fans, you want to see him at his best for this Ashes series.”
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Clarke was whether Cricket Australia should have intervened and prevented Hazlewood from participating in the T20 tournament.
“They can do it now. They can stop you going,” he responded.
“But it’s India. Are you kidding? No-one is saying no to India.
“We had the conversation about Cameron Green … is it in Cameron’s Green’s interest right now, with his body, with the Ashes series coming up, with the amount of cricket we have coming up, for him to be over there playing IPL? Or would he be better off taking four weeks rest, recover, rehab and start a pre-season?
“Unless Cricket Australia are going to say, ‘OK the IPL has just offered you $3 million for eight weeks … we’ll pay you that $3 million you stay home and train with us,’ there’s nothing they can do.”
Victorian quick Scott Boland is also in the Ashes squad and chief selector George Bailey said they would also have the capacity to call up Michael Neser and Sean Abbott, who are among a plethora of Australians playing in the County Championship, should the need arise.
“If we do need to call upon another quick we can we can be really specific around who we need and why,” Bailey said last month.
“And then not necessarily have someone in the squad who ends up being superfluous.”
— with NCA NewsWire