‘Challenge’ for us to take on England’s ‘unbelievable’ batting line-up, says Hazlewood

New Delhi: Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood believes that England’s “unbelievable” batting line-up will be a “challenge” for the home side in the upcoming Ashes.

England’s batting unit features the likes of No. 2 Test batter Harry Brook, who is one spot behind his veteran teammate Joe Root. The English team recently played out a 2-2 draw against India in the five-Test Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in the lead-up to the Ashes.

Brook will be embarking on his first Test tour of Australia. During his previous visit in 2022, he played nine T20Is but managed a highest score of just 20. His first-class experience in Australian conditions is limited to a single appearance for England Lions in 2021, making his adaptation crucial to the team’s success. Equally important will be the performance of Root, who has yet to register a Test century in Australia and averages 35.68 from 14 matches there.

“England has obviously been quite flat wickets recently, the last few years, and it’s been a really dry summer as well, so they are probably starting to get tired and spin now,” Hazlewood said.

“I think (Brook) will adapt. He’s a good player. He’s at the top of the rankings for a reason, and he’ll be a tough challenge. When (Root) first came out, it was a little bit of a different attack. It was probably (Mitchell) Johnson and (Ryan) Harris and (Peter) Siddle. Gaz (Nathan Lyon) has been around a long time now, so he was probably there, but we sort of just jumped on the back of that.”

Hazlewood, who featured in four Tests during the 2023 Ashes, anticipates a strong challenge from England’s batting line-up. In the recent series against India, England occasionally adopted a more measured approach instead of their usual all-out aggression, though they ultimately suffered a narrow six-run defeat at The Oval. A dramatic collapse – losing 7 for 66 – was sparked by an aggressive shot from Brook shortly after he had scored a brilliant century, prompting widespread debate.

“I think a fresh face like Harry Brook might find it easier. There’s no baggage behind him and he can just come out and play with freedom as he does. Joe’s probably in the form of his life as well. So they’re an unbelievable batting line, to be honest. The top seven have done really well…so it’s a challenge,” Hazlewood said.

Hazlewood won’t be taking the field in September, but he’s focused on staying active and building up fitness ahead of the first Test in Perth, preferring that to a prolonged break.

“It felt like over the last 12 months, the best way for me to go about it is just keep on ticking over, keep playing, not having too long off bowling,” Hazlewood said at an event to promote Play Cricket week. “I find…getting back to that intensity and volume is quite tough for me. So if I can just keep staying up there, match intensity as long as I can, then that’s sort of the best way for me to go about it.”

“The Test (only) guys will play more than one (Shield game). They’ll probably play two or three, but everyone’s on different programs,” he said. “I used it last year and I’ve sort of found that it’s very beneficial. Time on the field, multiple spells in a day, it’s sort of hard to replicate it at training. So, to get that before a Test series is pretty pivotal, I think,” the pacer concluded.

IANS