Ind v Aus 2020: 'Sometimes you just want to get to fine leg and have a drink' - Josh Hazlewood on Australian captaincy debate
Australian pace bowler Josh Hazlewood has backed former skipper Mark Taylor, who recently stated that batsmen can make better captains than bowlers. Taylor made the observation after Pat Cummins was appointed sole Test vice-captain for the upcoming series against India.
"I see where (Taylor) is coming from in that sometimes you bowl 20 overs and you might not be thinking too clearly about the game situation or what is the best plan away from your bowling," Josh Hazlewood told Wide World of Sports.
"Sometimes you just want to get to fine leg and have a drink and get away from it,” the 29-year-old conceded.
Not impossible, but challenging: Josh Hazlewood on having bowler as captain
Explaining further, Josh Hazlewood stated that if a bowler is not too emotional, he can definitely consider captaincy, but added -
“It's probably a bit easier for a batter to have a general overlook in how things are going and not be invested in your actual skill which you are doing at that time."
At the same time, the pacer added that he did not feel that fielding inside the ring instead of being in the deep would be a problem for an Australian bowling captain, since they are highly athletic.
"Certainly in Test cricket you can field at mid-on or mid-off and you can get a good idea of how things are going," Josh Hazlewood said.
What did Mark Taylor say over the captaincy issue?
Following Cummins’ appointment as Australia's sole Test vice-captain, Taylor had stated that the promotion doesn’t mean the fast bowler would be the automatic choice for being the next Test captain. Last summer, Cummins was joint vice-captain with Travis Head.
"I think all it's saying at this stage is if Tim Paine can't perform his duties, then Pat Cummins will take over. They've removed the ambiguity of two vice-captains," Taylor told Wide World of Sports.
"But long-term, I don't know. I think the selectors would love to see Head have a really good summer with the bat and cement himself as a player for many years to come. Head's got the captaincy experience, having captained South Australia for a number of years, and that's experience that very few of the current Australian players actually have," he further added.
Australia will take on India in a four-Test series starting with the Day/Night encounter at Adelaide from December 17. Notably, India beat Australia 2-1 the last time these teams met in a Test series Down Under.