Josh Hazlewood has dismissed concerns about Australia’s ageing bowling attack ahead of the Ashes, saying he feels in the best shape he has been for a long time. He added that the experience of the bowling unit is a major strength for the team.
Australia’s spinner Nathan Lyon will turn 38 during the series, while left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc is 35. Captain Pat Cummins, the youngest of the bowlers at 32, will miss the first Ashes Test, with 36-year-old Scott Boland likely to replace him in Perth.
Hazlewood, 34, said the group that has helped Australia retain the Ashes since 2017-18 still has plenty to offer. “I feel in the best shape I’ve been in a long time,” he told reporters at the Sydney Cricket Ground. “I think the experience, not just through red-ball cricket, through all the formats, you put all the pieces together. You’ve been in so many situations now out in the middle that you’ve learned a lot over the years, not just as an individual but as a group. We just bounce off each other out there and know each other’s game so well, so we can help each other out. There’ll come a time when we move on, no doubt, but I don’t think it’s yet.”
Hazlewood’s views reflected those of Lyon, who is set to overtake Glenn McGrath as Australia’s second most prolific Test wicket-taker after Shane Warne during the series. “The game has totally changed,” Lyon said. “It is a lot more professional than what it was probably 10 years ago with the science behind it all and the recovery. I feel like age is just a number. I still feel like I am yet to play my best cricket.”
The Australian attack combines experience with skill, giving the team confidence as they prepare to defend the Ashes. Hazlewood and Lyon believe their knowledge of each other’s games and years of playing together make them a formidable unit despite the advancing ages of the bowlers.
