Josh Hazlewood walked off the MCG on Friday night looking almost surprised at how well the ball had come out. Three wickets for 13 from four overs, two of them in the powerplay, tilted the opening T20I against India Australia’s way and set up a 1-0 lead. He spoke calmly afterwards, pleased with his rhythm but already shifting focus to Sheffield Shield cricket and, ultimately, the Ashes.
Key facts first: Pat Cummins is injured, the first Test against England starts on 21 November, and Hazlewood will play one more Shield match – New South Wales v Victoria from 10 November – before that series begins. The 34-year-old is fit, bowling quickly and, by his own admission, “as well as I ever have in white-ball cricket”. With Cummins sidelined and five Ashes Tests in six and a half weeks, selectors are sweating on workload. Hazlewood’s solution is straightforward: pick more all-rounders.
“First player picked [should be] an allrounder, I think,” he said. “Going back to those 20-odd Test matches we played with no allrounder, they were hard yards. So if [they] can be in the team, be it bowling, Greeny is obviously an outstanding player, Beau has done great for us whenever he’s played. The more the merrier, I say. They can bowl as much as they want.”
Cameron Green’s name sits in bold type on every notepad in the selection meeting; Beau Webster’s is close by. The debate is whether both can squeeze into the top six without weakening the batting. Hazlewood clearly thinks the trade-off is worth it. Extra seam overs from a genuine all-rounder could spare him and Mitchell Starc the long days that caused problems in previous summers.
Hazlewood’s own injury history explains his stance. A lengthy break in the winter of 2024 – meant to freshen body and mind – backfired when side and calf strains ruled him out of five Tests, the Champions Trophy and half an IPL season. This year he chose the opposite route. Rather than rest, he asked Cricket Australia’s medical team for clearance to keep bowling. Since May he has played at the back end of the IPL, four winter Tests, white-ball series in South Africa and New Zealand, ODIs in India and now these T20Is. He concedes it is a risk but feels rhythm outweighs fatigue just now.
“Everything’s swimmingly now,” Hazlewood said. “I think I can’t really say if it’s worked perfectly until probably after the summer. If I get through everything, it’s probably the template moving forward, to put myself in the best position to play as many games as possible. Still resting the odd one here and there, if it doesn’t sort of match up with travel or turnarounds and stuff like that.”
Mitchell Starc, by contrast, retired from T20Is and skipped the August ODIs in South Africa to refresh. Two senior quicks, two different programmes – evidence that modern fast bowling is as much art as science. Bowling coach Clint McKay, impressed by Hazlewood’s spell on Friday, insists the plan is “horses for courses”. He added: “What works for Josh mightn’t work for Starcy. The key is that both feel ready when that first Test starts in Brisbane.”
The immediate schedule diverges again. While the T20 squad heads to Hobart for Sunday’s third match, then on to the Gold Coast and Brisbane, Hazlewood will fly to Sydney, rest for a few days, then pull on the dark blue cap of New South Wales. He wants around 35 red-ball overs against Victoria to sharpen the cutter he used so effectively in England in 2023.
Former selector Trevor Hohns believes Hazlewood’s plea for all-rounders is “hard to ignore”. Speaking on ABC radio, Hohns said: “If you look at England’s depth, they bat to nine most days. Having Green or Webster – or both – gives Pat Cummins breathing space when he’s back and protects Starc and Hazlewood from bowling 50 overs a Test.”
Australia’s batting coach Michael Di Venuto, though, warns against “loading up on medium-pacers at the expense of pure batting class”. He feels form in the Shield over the next fortnight, rather than hypothetical balance, should decide selection.
For now, Hazlewood is content that the ball is coming out as he’d like. Friday’s performance bought Australia a buffer in the five-match T20I series; Sunday offers a chance to double it. More importantly, it gave the fast bowler an encouraging final outing with the white ball before switching to red. He knows the question he will be asked all summer: can he get through five Ashes Tests? His answer, delivered with a grin, is deliberately short.
“We’ll soon find out.”
