It will be a great headache to have for the Australian side, who expects the lanky fast bowler Josh Hazlewood to make a return to the side for their third Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 at the Gabba in Brisbane. The pacer wasn’t part of their 10-wicket victory in the second encounter at the Adelaide Oval.
Josh Hazlewood was in decent touch in the opening Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth with four wickets in 13 overs during the first innings, including the dismissal of Virat Kohli and Devdutt Paddikal. The Delhi-born couldn’t adjust himself to the bounce of the surface and got a faint edge into the hands of the wicket-keeper.
The New South Wales pacer has enjoyed so much success in the longest format with 278 wickets in 71 games at an average of under 25 and a strike rate of around nine overs with the best bowling figure of 6/67. He has tremendous success against India with 56 wickets in 16 games at an average of 27.09, including a couple of five-wicket hauls.
Pat Cummins confident of Josh Hazlewood’s return for Gabba Test
Josh Hazlewood could be a huge prospect for the home side for the third game at the Gabba, as he carries an average of under 24 at the ground, celebrating 37 scalps in eight Tests at a strike rate of around 52. But the question stands if he could pull up fit before the contest.
The captain of Australia, Pat Cummins, informed that the pacer would have a bowl in the morning on December 09 before they will assess and take the final decision in the next couple of days. However, he is confident of the 33-year-old, making a return to the side.
“Potentially. Josh Hazlewood will have another bowl tomorrow. So, he is well on track. After his bowling, we will assess him. It’s well going with the plan so far. We are fairly confident that he will be right for Brisbane. We will know more in the next couple of days. And someone has to make way, and that will be pretty unlucky.” Cummins addressed in the post-match press conference.
On the very first day of the Adelaide Test, the bowler remarked that he had ticked most of the boxes and would look to extend the good work regarding his fitness.
Gabba has been a traditional ground, which suits the extra pace and bounce. The height of the fast bowler and also his incredible ability to keep on bowling at the same position for a long time make it hard for the batting side to attack. The experience has also been very handy in the same prospect.
“The body is feeling pretty good. I mean, it’s a long gap between the Tests, so it’s given me a few more days to try and recover. I have ticked off a few boxes this week so far, and I’m looking to tick off a big one on day four—bowl a few spells throughout the day and see how it pulls up. So, fingers crossed for that day.” Josh Hazlewood was quoted as saying by Channel Seven.
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Australia replaced the pacer with Scott Boland, who contributed with five wickets in the game, including the dismissals of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. But in case of the NSW pacer returning, the management is likely to leave out the Victorian.
“I had a little bowl on one of the main training days and was sort of just 70% then. So, yesterday I ticked off 80 to 90% at the nets and just kept building on that. I hope so; I hope so. The side’s been a bit of a niggle for me for a few years now. This is such a minor strain.” Josh Hazlewood concluded.