There’s nothing extraordinary about Josh Hazlewood. He doesn’t boast the scintillating pace of Kagiso Rabada or assault stumps with hooping yorkers like Mitchell Starc.
Rabada and Starc are the kind of cricketers who produce spells which leave a lasting imprint on your memory, such is their dynamism and intimidation.
Hazlewood, meanwhile, is so consistent and so reliable that his performances tend to blend into each other.
Unlike the potent but erratic Starc, the gap between Hazlewood’s best and worst efforts are as narrow as the margin for error Quinton de Kock offers bowlers.
This was illustrated by the Aussie quick’s Test tours of Sri Lanka and England the past 18 months. In both of those series, Hazlewood was below his best. They are probably the two worst series of his career.
In England, he struggled to control the swing of the Dukes ball and was unable to maintain his trademark accuracy.
In Sri Lanka the pitches were lifeless and captain Steve Smith gave Hazlewood very few overs with the new ball.
Yet, across those two series, he still grabbed 23 wickets at 28. The fact these series are low points of his career is indicative of his wonderful consistency.
This consistency is built on a simple approach. Similar to South African Vernon Philander, Hazlewood seeks to land the ball on an in-between length just on or outside off stump.
It’s perhaps the oldest method in the textbook, but one which is only effective if you have the laser accuracy of Hazlewood or Philander.
Other bowlers can land four, maybe even five deliveries an over on this testing line and length. But Test batsmen block those out in the knowledge that the other one or two balls will be in their scoring zones.
The likes of Hazlewood and Philander offer few such relief balls and therein lies their success. Hazlewood’s dismissal of the destructive De Kock yesterday was a prime example of his subtle brilliance.
De Kock took a delivery from the off stump and flicked it nonchalantly through square leg. Rather than bowing to the unorthodox skills of the South African keeper-batsman, and changing tack, Hazlewood trusted his ability.
He landed the next delivery in exactly the same spot, except this time it was an off cutter. As the ball deviated away off the seam De Kock followed it and edged the ball through to keeper Matthew Wade.
Hazlewood long has been compared to Australian legend Glenn McGrath and this clever set-up of De Kock was reminiscent of the manner in which McGrath work over opposition batsmen.
To gauge how well 25-year-old Hazlewood is travelling at this stage of his Test career, compare his efforts to four of the leading quicks in the Test format, who were close to the same age as him when they had played 23 Tests.
Test records after 23 Tests:
Dale Steyn – 120 wickets at 22
Josh Hazlewood – 92 wickets at 25
Mitchell Starc – 88 wickets at 31
Stuart Broad – 67 wickets at 36
James Anderson – 75 wickets at 38
Starc will continue to earn the headlines as he and Hazlewood share the new ball for perhaps many years to come. But the eye-catching left armer’s success owes a lot to Hazlewood’s understated artistry.
Don Freo
Guest
Every Aussie off spinner in Test history would like the GOAT's record.
Mitcher
Guest
A fundamentally different bowler to Siddle. BTW, god bless the Siddler.
Mitcher
Guest
Every chance I made up the 80 figure. Look, it was a lot in any case.
Mitcher
Guest
I guess it depends how you define 'automatically'. I'd assume, and hope, you'd struggle to find anyone in their right mind suggesting that the singular moment cummins is fit (however that's defined by Rugby Pat) that he should walk into the test side. But anyone who has seen him bowl across a number of formats would surely absolutely salivate at this kid's potential. Any suggestion that his only breakout was in the one test he tore up seems intent on ignoring the undeniable potential he showed coming up through the ranks. Yes he's more injury prone than most we've seen. But to throw barbs at him because the authorities burnt him against stated intentions (80+ overs in a shield final anyone) is a bizarre attack. Many years ahead. Maybe he will. Maybe he won't. But to write him off now would be comical. The boy can bowl. Oh boy, he can bowl.
Mitcher
Guest
Geez, I sound so combative in that post don't I. Calm it down Mitcher, calm it down
Mitcher
Guest
Of course if you put the ball in the right spot and produce reverse swing you will get results. But I absolutely defy you to list 5 quicks in the past 10 years who have top class records on the subcontinent. (Let's go with 10 just to protect my rep ;). ) You've completely misrepresent my comment. I have no disputes with the fact that subcontinent pitches offer high class, and particular types of bowlers every chance to succeed. I absolutely love the variety of pitches around the world and the different challenges they present. But not one single line you've presented genuinely counters the fact that it's ridiculously tough for quicks to succeed on that type of pitch. Just like it's ridiculously tough for touring off spinners to produce on Australian pitches. It's not personal. It's just how it is. The stats don't lie.
Don Freo
Guest
Why would anyone explain that? He is not "automatically " worthy. He is, however, very good. Whenever he plays in his return games, he does some excellent things. He has absolute polish. People here are saying "wouldn't it be nice when...?"
Don Freo
Guest
You don't seem to read others' comments. Not one person has suggested "for now". They are suggesting that the attack will be better with them. Any talk of Steyn being available "for now" is silly too. People still talk of his absence, though.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Cummins bowled 22 overs in a match recently for NSW U/23s. He's still a long way off being physically ready for Test cricket but I won't be surprised if he is unleashed in the Shield after Xmas.
HB
Guest
Yes, can someone explain to me why everyone thinks that Cummins would be automatically worthy of Test selection once he's fit? He was excellent in the one test match he played; but that was five years ago, and he's played only eight first-class matches in his whole career, with an average of 29.84 and a strike rate of 60.6. Not bad numbers, but not great either.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
They will never play all four together. They love Lyon's ineffectiveness far too much.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
It sure would but there is it doesn't seem close to becoming a reality at this stage. Not until Pat Howard signs the permission slip that allows Cummins to bowl more than 10 overs a match.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
The talk of Cummins and Pattinson seems a bit silly, given they have no recent form to speak of, apart from Cummins in some limited overs cricket and they are yet to prove themselves over their injury concerns. Maybe, when Pat Howard signs their permission slip that lets them bowl more than 10 overs in a game, and they take some wickets, then we can list them as options. For now, as far as test cricket goes, Pat and James don't exist.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Broad's still got probably 3-4 years left in him as a Test player, he's become a quality bowler.
Gordon Smith
Guest
Fair comment jameswm but I do think that as a combination Anderson/Broad are past their best.
rl
Guest
Thanks Julian. Agree, class bowler who only got better with age.
rl
Guest
I didn't say he was slow, I just implied that he wasn't express pace. Am I incorrect? (and no, I wouldn't be comfortable facing that pace!! Am very proficent from the couch thanks)
Matthew H
Guest
Definitely a step in the right direction yesterday, not quite awesome yet, but the flight was there in patches and did result in some bounce and turn.
Brian
Guest
Gets lovely flight, turn, and bounce, and also barely any wickets and a pretty average test record (horrible FC record) to go with it. Did you see Faf getting right outside his off stump? That's because Lyon has zero change up: you know as a right hander that it's going to spin into you so you don't need to read it out of the hand or off the pitch (unless it's a minefield, but Lyon has shown that he can't bowl on those either), you just have to pick the length.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I don't know the pink ball has done anything more than the red ball does. Case in point SA's 12 overs under lights last night. Not really any more seam or swing than you'd expect from the first 12 overs of a red ball in the afternoon. There is, however, a bit more grass left on the pitch which helps to make it not the complete road it would otherwise be. Still looks a good batting pitch, but still with just enough in it to keep the bowlers interested. No reason why a team shouldn't be able to score 400+ on here. You get in and bat well and you can score runs, Faf showed that. You just need more than one batsman to put that together to pull off a big score.