The speedster will be one of the most important players for Australia in the Ashes 2025.
We are less than a month away from the Ashes, and it very seldom does get bigger than this. The first Test of the coveted series is set to commence from November 21 onwards in Perth. Out of all the ebbs and flows for Australia, one of the things which would slightly bother them is the absence of Pat Cummins. In his absence, Josh Hazlewood will be expected to take the mantle into his own hands.
But for the 34-year-old right-arm pacer too, concerns loom large. Though he is in the form of his life as far as white-ball cricket is concerned, Hazlewood sustained injuries in each of the two Tests that Australia played in the West Indies in June 2025. As a result, the fast bowler has taken efforts to manage his workload in such a way that helps him prepare for the Ashes 2025/26.
With Cummins not being able to take the field, Josh Hazlewood will be expected to lead the bowling attack along with Mitchell Starc. To add to that, Scott Boland will be in the scheme of things as a clear favourite to start, and has shown his class as the back-up seamer, every time Australia needed one. But this time around, much of the discussions are around the all-rounders.
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The Australian speedster was pretty clear on his opinions on the importance of all-rounders in the side. In white ball cricket, the factors to measure the contributions of an all-rounder are quite simple, as compared to the complex nature of Test cricket. However, when it comes to the longest format, Josh Hazlewood believes in “the more, the merrier.”
Besides the absence of Pat Cummins, which by the way is a huge one, the hosts have another headache in front of them to deal with ahead of the five-match Test series. With the batting order almost in place, the management will have to figure a way out to include both Cameron Green and Beau Webster in the playing XI, if at all the hosts want to go ahead with both of them in the top six.
“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 [Cameron Green] 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”, said Hazlewood on the inclusion of both all-rounders.
Josh Hazlewood made the decision to keep bowling as much as he could, throughout the winter. This decision was made after discussing with the medical staff. However, it is paying rich dividends as of now. Upon being asked whether Hazlewood feels fit to play all five Tests in the coveted series starting November 21, he said he could answer that question at a later stage.
“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”, said the Aussie speedster.
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