Darwin, Aug 15 (IANS) Josh Hazlewood’s return to Test cricket reached another landmark on Saturday as the Australia fast bowler entered the 300-wicket club during the first Test against Bangladesh in Darwin, prompting teammates Scott Boland, Travis Head and skipper Pat Cummins to praise the qualities that have made him one of the most reliable quicks of his generation.
Hazlewood became only the ninth Australian bowler to claim 300 Test wickets when Bangladesh batter Mehidy Hasan Miraz edged behind in the 26th over of the innings. The milestone capped a significant comeback for the 35-year-old, who had been sidelined for much of the previous year and had featured in only six of Australia’s last 14 Tests amid an injury-disrupted period.
His performance became even more notable given the circumstances surrounding his selection. With Boland also competing for a place in Australia’s pace attack, Hazlewood responded with a match-shaping spell on a surface where the other Australian bowlers had struggled to make regular inroads.
Boland, who was himself in contention for the opening Test, highlighted the physical and technical attributes that make Hazlewood such a difficult bowler to face.
In a video shared by cricket.com.au, Boland said, “He’s got all the attributes all fast bowlers would love to have, like he’s 6 foot 5 or 6, can bowl 140km/h, puts the ball on a 10 cent piece, can move the ball both ways, like he can, you know, as a bowler you sort of look at him and go, ‘Jeez I’d like to have some of that.”
The consistency of Hazlewood’s approach has also been a defining feature of his career, according to Head, who pointed to the understated manner in which the pacer operates despite his sustained success at the highest level.
“He’s quiet about his work. He’s a quiet achiever and goes about his work and he just gels in so well, doesn’t he? Goes about it. He’s just relentless always. He’s had some great results and I’m sure the summer will be the same,” Head said.
Cummins, who has shared the Australian attack with Hazlewood for years, went beyond the conventional description of the pacer as someone who simply hits a good length. The Australia captain emphasised the evolution of Hazlewood’s bowling and his ability to adapt across conditions.
“The boring stuff that everyone always, you know, says is he hits a really good area, time and time again he’s got bounce, I mean that’s one asset that I think is obvious, but I think, you know, he’s changed the way he’s bowled a little bit, he’s now got, you know, a wobble seam he uses quite a bit, he’s really good with reverse swing, you know, when we play overseas he finds a way to take wickets in pretty much whatever conditions, so he’s probably a bit more adaptable than he gets credit for and again for a big guy he can bowl 20 overs in a day no worries, which is rare in world cricket when you look around. And he’s been doing it for over a decade now,” skipper Pat Cummins said.
Hazlewood completed the innings with six wickets, including Ebadot Hossain as his final dismissal, giving him his fourth Test haul of six wickets and his first in nine years. His 14th five-wicket haul in Tests also took him into an elite Australian group featuring Nathan Lyon, Cummins and Mitchell Starc.
The achievement has added another chapter to Hazlewood’s career, with his record now standing alongside some of Australia’s most accomplished bowlers. Among Australia’s nine 300-wicket Test bowlers, only Glenn McGrath, Cummins and Dennis Lillee have recorded better bowling averages than Hazlewood’s 24.02.
–IANS
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