Josh Hazlewood Aims for International Comeback After Injury Setback

Australia’s fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is determined to continue his international cricket career despite missing the entire Ashes series due to injury. At 34 years old, Hazlewood is among several Australian players nearing the end of their Test careers, yet he remains focused on representing his country across all formats of the game.

His participation in the Ashes was cut short by a hamstring injury that occurred just before the series commenced. This was compounded by an Achilles issue as he attempted to return to bowling with the squad. Despite these setbacks, Hazlewood expressed his commitment to play both red and white ball cricket.

“Yeah absolutely,” he told the Daily Telegraph in Sydney. “My body still feels as strong as ever. It’s just little things here and there that creep in. I’m still determined to play three formats as best I can.” Hazlewood acknowledged that while he will inevitably miss some matches, he enjoys the varied challenges each format presents.

Looking ahead, Hazlewood is setting his sights on regaining full fitness for the Twenty20 World Cup scheduled to take place in India and Sri Lanka early next year. He reflected on the difficulty of returning from injury during a series, noting, “Once you’re injured mid-series or just before a series starts, you’re chasing your tail a lot of the time anyway.”

He believed he could have made a brief return for one or two Tests had he pushed through his hamstring injury. However, he emphasized the risks of entering a match without adequate preparation. “Every day you’re not bowling is another day you’ve got to bowl to get back to where you were,” Hazlewood added.

As he works towards his recovery, the fast bowler remains optimistic about his future in the game. His experience and skill will be pivotal for Australia as they aim for success in the upcoming tournament.