Hazlewood Eyes Sheffield Shield Tune-Up Before Ashes
Josh Hazlewood is planning to feature in a Sheffield Shield match ahead of the Ashes in November as he looks to fine-tune his preparations against what he believes will be the strongest England batting line-up to tour Australia during his career. Calling the current English side “unbelievable,” Hazlewood admitted that facing them will be a major challenge and wants to be in peak rhythm before the first Test in Perth.
Building Workload Ahead of Busy Summer
The Australian pacer has been steadily building his workload. He played five of the six white-ball matches against South Africa after skipping the T20I series against West Indies following the Test campaign. While fellow fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc have not featured in recent weeks, Hazlewood has stayed active and intends to keep up his momentum.
Although he won’t be in action through September, Hazlewood has no plans for an extended break. Instead, he is focused on maintaining his fitness and bowling rhythm, aiming to get crucial overs under his belt before the Ashes begins.
Hazlewood on Finding the Right Intensity
According to ESPNcricinfo report, “It felt like over the last 12 months, the best way for me to go about it is just keep on ticking over, keep playing, not having too long off bowling,” Hazlewood said at an event to promote Play Cricket week. “I find…getting back to that intensity and volume is quite tough for me. So if I can just keep staying up there, match intensity as long as I can, then that’s sort of the best way for me to go about it.”
Josh Hazlewood, who played four Tests in the 2023 Ashes, is bracing for a tough challenge from England’s batting line-up. He pointed out that during the recent India series, England mixed their approach with more patience instead of constant aggression, but a 7 for 66 collapse at The Oval — triggered after Harry Brook’s century — sparked debate over their attacking style.
Brook and Root Key to England’s Chances
Harry Brook, currently ranked No. 2 in Tests behind Joe Root, will be making his first Test tour of Australia. In nine T20Is played there in 2022, his highest score was just 20, making his adjustment to conditions crucial for England. Root’s role will be equally important, as he is yet to score a Test century in Australia, averaging 35.68 from 14 matches.
“England has obviously been quite flat wickets recently, the last few years, and it’s been a really dry summer as well, so they are probably starting to get tired and spin now,” Hazlewood said. “I think [Brook] will adapt. He’s a good player. He’s at the top of the rankings for a reason, and he’ll be a tough challenge.
“When [Root] first came out, it was a little bit of a different attack. It was probably [Mitchell] Johnson and [Ryan] Harris and [Peter] Siddle. Gaz [Nathan Lyon] has been around a long time now, so he was probably there, but we sort of just jumped on the back of that.
“I think a fresh face like Harry Brook might find it easier. There’s no baggage behind him and he can just come out and play with freedom as he does. Joe’s probably in the form of his life as well. So they’re an unbelievable batting line, to be honest. The top seven have done really well…so it’s a challenge.”
Asked whether it will be strongest batting up England have sent to Australia in recent times, Hazlewood said: “Yeah, definitely.”
Australia will play a three-match T20I series against New Zealand in early October before hosting India for ODIs and T20Is in the build-up to the Ashes. How Josh Hazlewood’s schedule is still uncertain, as the fourth round of Sheffield Shield games — starting November 10 with New South Wales facing Victoria at the SCG — falls very close to the first Ashes Test. Even so, Hazlewood is keen on a red-ball practice match to sharpen his long-format rhythm.
Shield Matches Crucial for Red-Ball Prep
“The Test [only] guys will play more than one [Shield game]. They’ll probably play two or three, but everyone’s on different programs,” he said. “I used it last year and I’ve sort of found that it’s very beneficial. Time on the field, multiple spells in a day, it’s sort of hard to replicate it at training. So, to get that before a Test series is pretty pivotal, I think.”
The post English batters will be a tough challenge in The Ashes? Here’s what Josh Hazlewood thinks appeared first on Cricket Country.
