Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, who has been ruled out of the entire Ashes tour due to injury, has claimed that his recovery is on track and he is trying different training methods to regain match fitness.
Australia has struggled with a number of injuries in every format of the game. Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, their two frontline pacers, have been injured ahead of the marquee tournaments in India and Sri Lanka.
While George Bailey had earlier informed Pat Cummins that he could be carried along for the second half of the tournament, Australia can do so with just one player, and hence, need to hasten Josh Hazlewood’s recovery.
Josh Hazlewood issues fitness update for ICC T20 World Cup 2026
Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is on the road to recovery and the fast bowler is confident of starting Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign in Sri Lanka. Hazlewood was ruled out of the start of the Ashes series against England with a hamstring injury, but then delayed his return due to an Achilles problem.
However, with Hazlewood now on the verge of recovery, he will not be taking part in the Big Bash League, where he is on the supplementary list for the Sydney Sixers. He will also not be a part of the T20 series against Pakistan, but will be eyeing a comeback with one of the warm-up matches in the World Cup.
“Everything is going according to plan,” Hazlewood told ESPNcricinfo. “Once we couldn’t play the Test matches we took a few extra weeks. Last week I bowled some half-run balls. The running is going well, all the strength things are going well, so, yes, on track.”
The tournament schedule will give Hazlewood some more time to recover, as the Australian team has to play its first match against Ireland before 11 February.
“But we’re still working on implementing the training a little differently.” -Josh Hazlewood
Injuries have become frequent for Hazlewood in recent decades. He has not played a single series without getting injured; His last big stint for the Australian team without any injuries was between mid-2023 and the 2024–25 India Test series.
He also claimed that he, along with the medical team, is looking for any irregularities, wrong practices or common factors in the problem, but he dismissed the hamstring injury as minor misfortune.
“I think when you start again, sometimes your body doesn’t like to stop and move. [again]. So maybe not getting into those two little things as much,” Josh Hazlewood said.
He revealed, “But we’re still working on implementing training a little differently. My gym and everything is still pretty much the same, but I think we’ll do as much as we can in terms of doing it a little differently, before the next red-ball game, because of the bowling workload.”
Josh Hazlewood will be key to Australia’s busy Test schedule in 2026-27
While Hazlewood’s focus is obviously on the upcoming T20 World Cup and the ICC tournament that follows the IPL, he will also be key to Australia’s busy 21-match Test schedule over the next 11 months, which includes crucial series against India and England.
The England series will be more important for Josh Hazlewood and Australia, citing the help of the fast bowlers; However, the India series in January will provide them with an opportunity to rest and rotate the fast bowlers. Fast bowlers of Hazlewood’s caliber should sit out for a few matches rather than being ruled out completely due to uncertainty over workload.
“[With] The white ball, you can really sit back and get it over with because you know you’re in it for four or ten overs,” he said. “With the red ball, it’s a bit more on the run. You can map out the way you want to train to get ready for that first step, but I think once the testing starts, it’s just kind of listening to it and keeping the conversation going.”
The big Australian added, “…you play too much in a row, obviously, weakness starts to creep in. So if you feel that coming, then yes, you might have to sit one out.”
Also read: Ravindra Jadeja’s ODI retirement takes a new turn after Indian coach’s apparent reality check