Australia paceman Josh Hazlewood has declared himself ready to return from the side strain that ended his Ashes series after the first Test in early December.
Having endured the bittersweet feeling of only being able to watch his teammates rout England 4-0, Hazlewood said he was in no doubt for the five Twenty20 games against Sri Lanka next month.
The 31-year-old quick, who was recently named in the ICC Men’s T20 Team of the Year, acknowledged it had been a “frustrating” period on the personal front with injury.
“I’m definitely back for the Sri Lanka T20s,” Hazlewood said ahead of the series starting in Sydney on February 11.
“I’ve got a couple of weeks up my sleeve to get right and should be fine.”
With a busy international schedule this year, including a three-format tour of Pakistan starting in March and a home T20 World Cup campaign in October, Hazlewood knows he’ll have to manage his workload.
“I think it’s pretty much impossible to play all the games for Australia,” he said.
“We’re going to have to prioritise – whether it’s red-ball over white-ball or vice versa or depending on how your body’s travelling.
“As far as time away from home and bubble fatigue, there’s going to have to be some time put aside to hopefully get home for a week or two in and around those series.”
If a positive came from Hazlewood’s absence against England it was the Test emergence of veteran Victorian seamer Scott Boland, who snared 18 wickets in three matches and became a cult hero.
Despite the added competition going forward, Hazlewood was delighted for the popular 32-year-old.
“Scotty was awesome. Great to see – he’s the nicest guy in Australian cricket, I think,” he said.
“It was quite nerve-racking giving his baggy green to him in Melbourne. Seeing how he went in not only that game but the rest of the series was awesome.”
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
Yes. The best solution is to schedule less cricket so that the players can properly recover and play their best cricket.
Micko
Roar Rookie
No he didn't. Tough as nails!
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Yep. We play Pakistan this coming Thursday. Live on Kayo about 10.30pm.
Ace
Roar Rookie
Do you not accept the fact that the majority of fast bowlers go through a great deal of wear and tear on their joints and that resting from the intensity of a test is often a good thing. Side strains a also a common complaint due to the rigorous actions The action of fast bowlers sprinting in and landing heavily must ultimately have an effect on all those small bones and the joints I guess they can look fwd to their arthritis
Ace
Roar Rookie
Yes Micko. He never played pain free for a long part of his test career
Ace
Roar Rookie
Hi Don. Did the boys get up for the under 19 finals? I noticed Sri Lanka beat the West Indies
Sedz
Guest
I concur. I would say these premium fast bowlers (Hazlewood, Bumrah, Cummins etc..,) should play test along with WC ODI and T20 matches. Can't stop them from IPL but they can certainly be rested from meaningless T20 and ODI bilateral series. If we have a ODI WC, then it makes sense to play some bilateral series beforehand. Last we need is these guys to break down during an important test series. It had happened with Hazlewood this Ashes and Siraj vs SA match. Happened with Bumrah last Aus series.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Two new knees...the strongest part of my body now.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Ouch! You poor bugger! :crying:
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
FFS the 1970s was the first decade that had international matches every single summer.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Me too.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Sorry Gee...absolutely nothing wrong with the way Hazle bowled or bowls. He is a long, long way ahead of Boland. Has way more in his armoury, bowls 10kph faster, moves it both ways in the air and off the pitch. How quickly you forget.
Nudge
Roar Rookie
Is that just your gut feel or are you absolutely certain of that? I’ve heard some of the fast bowlers in the 70’s and 80’s say that when they bowled in the nets they’d steam in for hours without a break. Their theory is, that’s why they didn’t get injured like some of the current day bowlers, because there bodies were hardened from bowling for hours, unlike today where they are only allowed to bowl a certain amount of balls per day. I’m not saying I’m right and you’re wrong, that’s just what I’ve heard
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
The length at which seamers bowl is the result of team decisions made at a level above that if the individual bowlers (the bowlers provide input, but the decision is made by the coaching staff and captain). Bowlers are given a plan of attack against every opposition batsman and only have a certain amount of leeway in how they go about bowling to them. This is why you seldom see a single seam bowler getting their length wrong or getting it right while the others get it wrong. Either they all get it right or they all get it wrong. They are all bowling according to a script with little improvisation permitted.
Paul
Roar Guru
This is probably not a good analogy but does Australian cricket need to prioritise players and the matches they play, just as professional golfers do? There's no way a John Rahm, Rory McIlroy or Justin Thomas plays every tournament in a PGA season, nor are they expected to. They do play the high profile, big money events, including the majors, which in cricket parlance, would be Tests and World Cups. I don't think its unreasonable for the Australian squad to to something similar. Why for example, would anyone want Hazlewood playing in a T20 match in February? That makes no sense when he's coming back from injury and has lots of Tests to look forward to, over the coming months. On the other hand, I would expect him to play in the T20's in India in September/October as warm ups for the next WC.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
They had a big-ass off season. They didn’t train at anything like the intensity modern players do. They also didn’t bowl at full intensity all the time, especially in first class cricket.
Gee
Roar Rookie
The bowlers from the 70s & 80s must giggle when they read how tiring it is to be a fast bowler today. I bet they would of loved to bowl a 3rd as much for 10 times the money the precious little flowers do now.
Gee
Roar Rookie
Hopefully he looks at the length Boland bowls. Hazlewood bowled too short against India last season (they all did) and except for that Adelaide anomaly was very easy to keep out defensibly.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Ouch! :shocked: Wasn't that what Ryan Harris had too?
Chanon
Roar Rookie
Hazlewood seems to be genuine in his rapture for Boland performance against the Poms. Glad he spoke honestly regarding playing all three forms from here on. Great player let’s hope he gets up & plays test cricket against Pakistan & Sri Lanka.