"My fitness is pretty good and it is just a matter of ticking off every session from here until that date" - Josh Hazlewood on his recovery process
Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood shed light on his recovery from injury ahead of the highly-anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) final against India. The right-arm fast bowler missed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and his side strain made him a sporadic presence in the recently concluded 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Despite his injury concerns and lack of playtime, Hazlewood was included by Cricket Australia (CA) in their squad for the WTC final. With the contest only one week away, the pacer is in a race against time to be fully fit or could lose his spot to the likes of either Scott Boland or the in-form Michael Neser.
Stating that he is in good shape, Hazlewood told ICC:
"My fitness is pretty good and it is just a matter of ticking off every session from here until that date (June 7) basically."
"We will probably have anywhere from three to four more sessions - bat versus ball and then a couple of longer days in the nets as well or centre wicket down in London - so it is just ticking off those last few boxes and pulling up well from every session."
Hazlewood's injury woes began with an Achilles issue during Australia's home series against South Africa at the turn of the year. The inflicted side strain later on added to the woes and complicated his recovery process. He only played three matches for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2023, claiming three wickets at an economy rate of 8.44.
Highlighting how bowling variations while preparing for T20 cricket might have flared up his injury, Hazlewood said:
"In T20 you are bowling a lot of various different balls every over. A wide yorker, to a bouncer, to a slower ball and it probably got jammed up a little bit and a bit of scar tissue from previous injuries flared up."
He continued:
"It calmed down pretty quickly, I had a week off but I didn't quite get back to going 100 percent at IPL. But the last few bowls have been good and I have been building up nicely."
"I probably would have said I would have liked to play all six but it is just different now" - Josh Hazlewood
Being an all-format player at the international level and handling franchise cricket has admittedly taken a toll on Josh Hazlewood. Australia are scheduled to play six Tests in a short span of time which includes the WTC final as well as The Ashes.
Understanding that playing all six matches would be a near-impossible task, Hazlewood noted:
"If you asked that question three years ago I probably would have said I would have liked to play all six but it is just different now. "It is just so tightly consumed together now and coming off not an ideal build up … but we have got enough quicks here and a couple of others playing County cricket to cover all bases."
The WTC final will start at The Oval on June 7.
Will the Australian seamer be a thorn in India's side in English conditions during the WTC final? Let us know what you think.