Hazlewood Prioritizes Red-Ball Cricket Ahead of Challenging Ashes Series

Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is strategically planning his lead-up to the highly anticipated Ashes series against England, confirming his intention to play Sheffield Shield matches. This move underscores his belief that maintaining match intensity and volume through consistent long-form cricket is crucial for optimal performance against what he anticipates will be England's strongest batting lineup ever.

Hazlewood articulated his approach, stating, The best way for me to go about it is just keep on ticking over, keep playing, not having too long off bowling. He further explained his reasoning: I find…getting back to that intensity and volume is quite tough for me. This commitment to red-ball cricket highlights the unique demands of Test match bowling that cannot be fully replicated in training.

The seasoned quick is bracing for a formidable challenge, particularly from England's top-order batsmen. He singled out Harry Brook, currently ranked second in Test cricket, and Joe Root. Brook will be touring Australia for the first time, and his adaptation to the local conditions will be keenly observed. Root, despite his prolific scoring elsewhere, is yet to achieve a Test century in Australia, adding another layer of intrigue to his performance.

Reflecting on the English conditions, Hazlewood noted, 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. Despite the difference in conditions, he expressed confidence in Brook's ability to adjust: 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.

Hazlewood's immediate schedule includes a T20I series against New Zealand and limited-overs matches against India before the Ashes. While the exact number of Sheffield Shield games he will play is yet to be finalized, his emphasis on the benefits of long-form cricket is clear. 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 explained. He concluded by stressing the importance of this preparation: 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.