Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has sent a strong message to England ahead of the much-awaited Ashes 2025-26 series. Josh Hazlewood warned England bowlers to think twice before trying to sledge the Australian batsmen during the upcoming high-voltage five-match Test series.
With the blockbuster five-match Test series set to begin at the Optus Stadium in Perth on November 21, both teams are preparing for an exciting series. England, known for their aggressive “baseball” style, used tactical sledging to unsettle India during the recently drawn Test series at home.
Josh Hazlewood has warned that England’s verbal tactics will backfire against Australia.
But Hazlewood has made it clear that such tactics will not work against the current Australian team. The veteran fast bowler said that most of the batsmen in the team, including Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green, have faced the English attack so many times that they will not even be aware of any verbal taunts coming their way in the upcoming Ashes 2025-26.
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The Australian speedster has pointed out that modern-day players are much more focused and mentally strong than before. Hazlewood believes that sledging, which once played a huge role in the mental game on the field, does not really affect players in today’s era. In fact, the fast bowler said that sledging is often counterproductive, as it motivates batsmen to perform even better under pressure.
News Corp quoted Josh Hazlewood as saying, “To be honest, I wouldn’t sledge any of our batting lines. Especially someone like Marnus (Labuschagne) and Cam Green. They are so on top of their game and so focused on their batting that I don’t think they ever heard it. I think a lot of batsmen are like that these days.”
Josh Hazlewood predicts an intense Ashes series
The Australian fast bowler also warned that there could be heated moments in the upcoming Ashes series, but both sides have enough experience to keep things under control and not let emotions get the better of them. Hazlewood expects tough competition in the five Test matches.
Hazlewood signed off by saying, “I’m not sure how it will play out. There will be moments when it gets heated, but I think it will be fairly level playing in a five-Test series. We are all quite experienced and realize it doesn’t affect people much these days. You can still find the odd person who can affect it, but most of the time it probably turns people on and helps them play better.”
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Key Australian players struggling with fitness problems; Josh Hazlewood ready for India T20I
Notably, Hazlewood is currently preparing for the five-match T20I series against India. However, the star pacer will play only three T20I matches against India as part of Cricket Australia’s workload management strategy. They recently won the ODI series against India at home by a margin of 2-1.
On the other hand, Australia captain Pat Cummins is one of the three key players battling injury concerns ahead of the upcoming Ashes series. Cameron Green has been ruled out of the ODI series against India with a sore arm, while Beau Webster is struggling with an ankle problem.
