Ashes 2023: "I Can’t See Him Playing" - Ryan Harris On Josh Hazlewood Ahead Of The First Test Match Against England

Former Australian seamer Ryan Harris stated that Josh Hazlewood wouldn’t make it into the playing XI in the first Test match of the upcoming Ashes. Ryan Harris urged the team management to stick with the bowling combination of Scott Boland, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins for the series opener.

Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the recently concluded World Test Championship (WTC) final against India at the Oval in London. Scott Boland replaced Hazlewood in the starting XI and picked up five wickets. The team management has yet to announce their bowling line-up for the first Test.

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Ryan Harris recalled the incident from the 2013 Ashes series and said that he was disappointed with the omission from the squad. Harris said that Hazlewood has been going through a similar situation.

“I can’t see him [Hazlewood] playing, I think the way Boland’s bowled has been exceptional, so I can’t see Hazlewood jumping him at this stage, and I think they’ll be happy with and stick with Starc as well,” Harris said.

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“I remember it [not playing in the 2013 Ashes] clearly. I wasn’t happy about it, but I think everyone was bowling particularly well at the time. So, disappointing as it was, on those tours you’ve got to accept what the team want at the time and I think coming into this Test it is a little bit similar,” he added.

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He Does Know His Body Very Well – Ryan Harris

Ryan Harris pointed out that Josh Hazlewood played his last match against South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 2023. Harris said that he is unsure whether Hazlewood is ready to play the Test match.

“He’s clearly dying to play and he does know his body very well, it’s just that uncertainty about whether he’s fully ready or does he need another week,” he further stated.

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“He hasn’t played a red-ball game since the SCG Test (vs. South Africa in January this year), so that’s got to be a factor as well, and when you’ve got a guy like Scotty Boland bowling the way he is, it’s a pretty easy decision in my mind,” he concluded.

Hazlewood was included in the recently concluded Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series against India despite not being fully fit to play. He missed the first two matches due to injury before returning home.

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