Every few years, a fast bowler enters a zone so pure, so ruthlessly precise, that even seasoned batters look like they’ve accidentally walked into the wrong net session. Right now, that bowler is Josh Hazlewood. At the MCG, he returned Test-match numbers in a T20I, 3 for 13 in four overs against an India line-up known for turning ordinary spells into confetti. That’s not just control; that’s domination wrapped in rhythm.
As Australia debates whether there’s room for two all-rounders, Cameron Green and Beau Webster, Hazlewood has made his stance blunt: pick as many as you possibly can. For him, this isn’t team balance, it’s survival.
All-Rounders as Australia’s Insurance Policy
Hazlewood didn’t dance around the point: “an allrounder should always be the first name on the team sheet.” Coming from a bowler who lived through the “20-odd Tests” where Australia fielded none, this is less an opinion and more a veteran’s scar tissue talking.
He has seen how the absence of a fourth seamer crushes workloads, stretches spells, and slowly chips away at bodies until the physio table becomes a second home. With Green already proven and Webster offering height, bounce, and underrated batting, Hazlewood sees a rare chance to protect the pace cartel, something Australia hasn’t always done well.
A Rhythm Built on Relentless Cricket
While Mitchell Starc opted for a long white-ball break, Hazlewood took the opposite road: play everything. And he meant everything: India, South Africa, New Zealand, IPL, ODI, T20I, winter Tests.
The logic was almost counterintuitive: bowl more to stay healthier. After a long break in 2024, triggered by side and calf issues, Hazlewood and CA’s medical team designed a “never let the engine get cold” plan. So far, the returns have been borderline perfect. He feels “everything’s going swimmingly,” though he won’t label it a success until he gets through the Ashes.
This is the classic fast bowler’s paradox: risk now so you don’t break later.
The New Workload Formula
The next week for Hazlewood will be gym time, a short de-load, light bowling, then a ramp-up into the Shield match. Nothing chaotic, nothing heavy, just a rhythm that flows rather than spikes.
It’s the closest thing fast bowlers have to meditation: trust your body, trust your week, trust your process. And for once, Hazlewood seems to be steering the ship rather than being dragged behind it by injury.
Comparative View
Hazlewood’s situation mirrors other late-career rhythm rediscoveries, think James Anderson post-2016 or Dale Steyn’s short but brilliant renaissance in 2018. Both scaled back explosive workloads and embraced intelligent consistency. Hazlewood’s current method is steady overs across formats, minimal downtime, carefully timed rest feels like Australia’s belated adoption of England’s pace-rotation philosophy circa the 2019 Ashes. If it holds through all five Tests, this could become the blueprint Australia wished they’d had when Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle were constantly patched together with tape and prayer.
Hazlewood is entering the Ashes in that rare fast-bowling window where experience, clarity, and rhythm intersect. His white-ball brilliance isn’t a side quest; it’s a sign of a bowler in full control of his craft and his body. But the bigger story may be his insistence on all-rounders. In an era where batting depth is fashionable, Hazlewood is advocating for bowling sustainability. He knows the brutality of a five-Test series better than anyone.
Key Takeaway
Australia’s Ashes hopes hinge not just on Hazlewood’s form, but on his philosophy: pace wins matches, but all-rounders win series.
FAQs
1. Why did Hazlewood skip the remaining T20Is against India?
To prepare for his final Sheffield Shield tune-up ahead of the Ashes.
2. Why does Hazlewood want multiple all-rounders in the XI?
They reduce bowling workloads and provide balance across a long Test series.
3. Has Hazlewood proven his new workload model works?
Not yet, he says, the real verdict will come only after the Ashes.
Disclaimer: This blog post reflects the author’s personal insights and analysis. Readers are encouraged to consider the perspectives shared and draw their own conclusions.
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