Hazlewood pushes selection case for World Test Championship Final
to the red-ball as he pushed his case for selection in the ICC World Test Championship Final on Saturday with a strong hitout during his first training session since arriving in England.
Hazlewood won the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier this week and only arrived in London on Wednesday night ahead of the Ultimate Test against the Proteas at Lord's that commences on June 11.
The right-armer looked in good touch in Beckenham on Saturday at an optional training session for the Aussies, with head coach Andrew McDonald and selector Tony Dodemaide keeping a close eye on proceedings as Hazlewood battles with fellow seamer Scott Boland for a spot in the playing XI.
Hazlewood unsurprisingly hit his usual line and length quickly when bowling to Australian teammate Marnus Labuschagne and the 34-year-old said he would increase his pace over the coming days in the lead-up to the clash with South Africa in north London, an ICC report said.
"Today is sort of, post-flight and just to get moving," Hazlewood said prior to training.
"I will probably nail down a few more overs tomorrow and then over the next few days, tick a lot of boxes," he said.
"I ticked over some good overs just before the IPL Final in Ahmedabad in different weather than this and it was quite a tough session," Hazlewood said.
"And then obviously, every time you play a game in the IPL, you're probably going to get almost seven or eight overs in, if you really want to. So in and around with warm-ups and obviously the four overs in the game. And we bowled second a lot of the time in IPL, so that was sort of two warm-ups, so you can squeeze in overs here and there and things are going pretty well," he said.
Hazlewood hasn't played a red-ball contest since he featured in the third Test against India in December, with Scott Boland edging his way into Australia's line-up for the remainder of that series and impressing with a 10-wicket match haul in the series finale in Sydney.
The pair are seemingly battling it out for one place in Australia's XI to face South Africa, with skipper Pat Cummins and left-armer Mitchell Starc certain to feature in the one-off contest with first-choice spinner Nathan Lyon.
"Everyone looks in good shape," Hazlewood said of his fellow bowlers.
"We've all been in different parts of the world playing or training over the last couple of months, so
it's good to get everyone together and catch up with everyone yesterday and the day before and
get all on the same page moving forward," he said.
Hazlewood took five wickets in his most recent match at Lord's during the 2023 Ashes series against England and the experienced quick believes the conditions at the iconic venue will suit his bowling style.
"Any time I bowl in England I'm reasonably confident," Hazlewood stated.
"I've had some good tours here over the last 10 years and Lord's in particular," he said.
"I haven't lost before at Lord's yet as a player, certainly in red-ball cricket for sure and we have
had a couple of good wins there over the years," Hazlewood added.
UNI BM
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
15 minutes ago
- Hans India
Stoinis backs private investment in BBL, keeps focus firm on playing 2026 T20 WC
New Delhi: Australia's seam-bowling all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has backed private investment to happen in the eight Big Bash League (BBL) teams, saying the model brought in by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises could benefit Australian cricket. At the same time, he added that his focus is firm on playing in next year's T20 World Cup. This year, owners of IPL franchises Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals bought investment stakes in The Hundred teams' Oval Invincibles, Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers and Southern Brave. Recently, Cricket Australia said it is open to the introduction of private ownership of teams in the BBL leagues and is currently studying recommendations sent in by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). "Thinking about the IPL owners and what they've done with the IPL, you want people that have got a track record of building something that's very good. If they do that, it's great for them, but it's also great for English cricket or for Australian cricket… It's a pretty clear path to me as to where most of cricket's going," Stoinis was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo on Thursday. Stoinis is currently playing for Trent Rockets in The Hundred. The all-rounder has retired from ODIs but remains available for T20I selection. His absence from Australia's squad for the ongoing series against South Africa stems from talks he initiated earlier this year with Australia coach Andrew McDonald and chief selector George Bailey. "The nature of it is that you can't select yourself in an Australian jersey, but you can sign a contract to come and play in the Hundred. When this opportunity came up, I spoke to Cricket Australia, I spoke to Ron (McDonald) and we made a plan around that, really… When you're planning it in advance, that makes it easier," he added. With Bailey confirming last week that Stoinis will be 'firmly in the mix' for the T20 World Cup, Stoinis stated, "We are very lucky. We do it very well in Australia. The relationships that I've got with both Ron and Bails means you just have those conversations pretty openly." Stoinis signed off by admitting it felt 'weird' watching Australia play in the T20Is from afar but insisted he is content with his choices. "You share a few messages after the games and have a laugh... They say playing for your country should be the best time of your life, and for me it has been. But I don't feel like it's done yet."
Indian Express
15 minutes ago
- Indian Express
R Ashwin explains why Sanju Samson's CSK trade will not work out this time, ‘Chennai don't believe in…'
The Sanju Samson IPL 2025 transfer/trade continues to spur interest with latest repots intending that the Rajasthan Royals have indeed begun negotiations with multiple franchises after the Kerala batter had express his intention to leave the side. The Rajasthan skipper has since been closely associated with a move to Chennai Super Kings, with the five-time champions expressing interest in a transfer. The Indian Express had previously reported that after the conclusion of the IPL, Samson even met with the CSK management and head coach Stephen Fleming during the Major League Cricket season in US. Chennai were open to the idea of bringing the 30-year-old to Chepauk through a trade deal via cash. But it has hit a roadblock, with Rajasthan preferring an exchange of two players from Chennai. The five-time champions as a CSK policy have traded players with other franchises. When they bought Robin Uthappa ahead of the 2021 season from Rajasthan it was an all-cash deal. Samson's former RR teammate R Ashwin, who is also understood to have expressed his interest to leave the CSK franchise, explained that Samson's move to Chepauk may not come to fruition ahead of the 2026 IPL season. 'Why the CSK-RR trade won't work is because if Sanju is traded to CSK, and RR then try to trade with other teams, they're unlikely to get valuable players in return. For example, if RR want a spinner like Ravi Bishnoi and approach LSG, the problem is that if LSG acquire Sanju and give away Bishnoi, they also have to manage the remaining purse required to retain Sanju — which becomes LSG's responsibility,' Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. Ashwin further explained that Chennai do not generally incline towards trading players and will not certainly give away players worth Rs 18 crore to match a Samson deal. 'CSK generally don't believe in trading. They aren't going to trade players like Ravindra Jadeja or Shivam Dube. So, in all likelihood, Sanju coming to CSK is bleak, for the reasons I've explained. RR don't have much to gain from this kind of trade,' said Ashwin on his Youtube Channel.
News18
25 minutes ago
- News18
'Very Surprising...': Australia Batting Star Sharpening Bowling For T20 World Cup In India
Last Updated: Glenn Maxwell is honing his spin-bowling for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, aiming to excel in powerplay overs on spinner-friendly pitches. With an eye on next year's T20 World Cup in the Indian subcontinent, charismatic Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is honing his spin-bowling skills to become more effective during the powerplay overs, as he might need to bowl with the new ball on spinner-friendly pitches. The 2026 T20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, and if fully fit, the spin-bowling all-rounder is likely to be part of the Australian team as it aims to reclaim the trophy it last won in 2021. Maxwell has been a regular in the Indian Premier League, representing various teams, with his most successful stints being with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings, where he has excelled as a powerful batter capable of making decisive impacts with the ball. Despite his bowling skills, Maxwell has bowled only five powerplay overs in total in the shortest format between the 2022 T20 World Cup and the ongoing home series against South Africa. However, the 36-year-old believes he could be useful in powerplay overs during the T20 World Cup as the new ball grips the subcontinent's wickets better. 'I think in the subcontinent you might be able to get a little bit more out of it (wicket) as a spinner early on," Maxwell told 'Especially that new ball, the hard seam, being able to grip on those dry surfaces. So it might be something we think about heading forward." He took two wickets in the second T20I against South Africa in Darwin, including that of skipper Aiden Markram in the fifth powerplay over. 'I love getting wickets. It's very surprising anytime I get anyone out. I'm there to do a job in the powerplay and I'm trying to execute that as well as I can," he said. Besides his bowling, Maxwell has been flexible in playing at any position based on the team's requirements. 'I've been a bit of the shuffler around the order, up and down. I'm filling holes at the moment. Even during the West Indies series, trying to combat Akeal Hosein (by) going up the top, this series (against South Africa) going a little bit lower, trying to manage that back end (of the innings). '(I'm) trying to play whatever role is needed for me in this side and just try and be as adaptable as possible," he added. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
