NEW DELHI: Australia’s injury-plagued pacer Josh Hazlewood, who missed the recently-concluded World Test Championship (WTC) final against India at The Oval, on Tuesday declared himself fit and said he’s determined to feature in at least three Ashes Tests.
The marquee five-match series between arch-rivals England and Australia starts on Friday in Edgbaston.
Marred by frequent injuries, Hazledood has played only two Tests in the last 15 months.
With the 32-year-old pacer now declaring himself fit, Australia have a selection headache before the Ashes with Scott Boland, Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood vying for two slots in a pace attack spearheaded by skipper Pat Cummins.
Hazlewood acknowledged he would have found it difficult to play the WTC final and all five Ashes Tests on the condensed tour given his injury issues over the last couple of years.
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The marquee five-match series between arch-rivals England and Australia starts on Friday in Edgbaston.
Marred by frequent injuries, Hazledood has played only two Tests in the last 15 months.
With the 32-year-old pacer now declaring himself fit, Australia have a selection headache before the Ashes with Scott Boland, Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood vying for two slots in a pace attack spearheaded by skipper Pat Cummins.
Hazlewood acknowledged he would have found it difficult to play the WTC final and all five Ashes Tests on the condensed tour given his injury issues over the last couple of years.
“If we go back a few years, I would have said all six,” Hazlewood told reporters on Tuesday when asked how many matches he would have liked to play on the tour.
“But I guess it’s a little bit different now, based on the last two years. Three would be a nice pass and four is probably a tick.
“Any more than that is great, any less then I am probably a little disappointed again.”
Boland was the most impressive Australia bowler in the WTC final with former captain Aaron Finch and retired speedster Brett Lee calling for the Victorian to be retained in Edgbaston.
Hazlewood did not believe Boland’s rise posed a threat to his place in the side.
“When you have that depth … you really go as hard as you can and then reassess after the game,” Hazlewood said.
“You always have someone of high quality sitting on the pine and ready to go.”
The emergence of Boland and seam-bowling all-rounder Cameron Green could actually help prolong his career, he added.
“You might miss one or two games with a niggle now, rather than pushing it and missing three or four months.
“We probably played 20 or 30 Tests with no all-rounder, and that was pretty tough yards for a few years.
“If we have a group of four or five quicks we can go together for longer,” he added.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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