The recent Australia A series was important for all Ashes aspirants, but in the case of promising paceman Josh Hazlewood the overs mattered just as much as the experience.
Hazlewood returned from his latest foot injury in a one-day clash for Australia A, instead of NSW’s last-start Sheffield Shield match.
“The body’s really good. Australia A was probably a bit of a blessing in disguise I guess, going back to one-day cricket and obviously missing the last Shield game,” Hazlewood told AAP.
“It was probably a good thing to get those overs back down and have a bit of a rest.”
Injury has been a near-constant source of frustration in Hazlewood’s stop-start career.
The beanpole quick debuted for NSW at the age of 17 and played a one-day international for Australia at 19 – before fellow upstart quicks James Pattinson and Pat Cummins burst onto the scene.
But the 22-year-old has only managed 16 first-class games since debuting in 2008, with stress fractures in his back and foot proving major setbacks.
Hazlewood joined the Test squad in Perth last year, but he was overlooked. A foot injury followed, then flared up after his Twenty20 international debut on February 13.
“All bowlers go through it at some stage,” he said.
With back-to-back Ashes series ahead, Hazlewood is desperate to show fitness and form in the final two Shield games this season.
“It definitely takes a lot of overs to get that rhythm back. You probably start to feel fatigued by the time you’re actually bowling well. It can be hard to get that middle ground sometimes,” he said.
“… I guess it (the Ashes) is in the back of my mind, but I try not to think about it too much.
“It’s still a few months away, so getting through these next couple of games is the main key.
“You’ve just got to stay fit and keep bowling well.”
NSW captain Ben Rohrer said he’d be very surprised if Hazlewood doesn’t feature against England.
“I think he’d be perfect for the English conditions, but he obviously needs to perform in these last few games to show the selectors that he’s right for it,” Rohrer said.