Josh Hazlewood to skip India T20Is for Ashes preparation

Australia’s fast-bowling spearhead Josh Hazlewood has made a bold call ahead of a packed cricket calendar. Josh Hazlewood has decided to skip a few T20Is in the upcoming five-match series against India to focus on red-ball preparations for the all-important Ashes 2025-26 at home.

Hazlewood has been named in the Australia squad for the three ODIs and the first two T20Is against India. After finishing his national duty, the star pacer will return to his domestic side, New South Wales, to get valuable red-ball match practice in the Sheffield Shield.

Josh Hazlewood chooses Sheffield Shield games over India T20Is for Ashes preparations

The New South Wales team is set to face Victoria in a crucial Sheffield Shield clash starting November 10 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which will serve as Hazlewood’s tune-up before the Ashes 2025-26 opener against England on November 21 at the Optus Stadium in Perth.

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Hazlewood will miss the last three T20Is against India, with the second T20I scheduled at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 31, before shifting gears to red-ball cricket. So, he will have enough time to take rest as well as have some red-ball practice under his belt before the Ashes.

You can't have everything: Josh Hazlewood

Josh Hazlewood said at a Cricket Australia sponsorship announcement with Woolworths, “We've definitely had chats about fitting in a Shield game. I do think it's important when there's time for it. You don't want to squeeze things in or rush for it.

This year I'm going to miss a couple of T20s to do that. Which I certainly don't like doing, missing games for Australia. But in the long run it is about getting the best prep for the Ashes as well. You can't have everything, and that's the trade-off at the moment.”

Josh Hazlewood’s smart transition plan

Well, the Australian pacer is determined to stay in touch with the white-ball game ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka, but he believes that a proper red-ball transition is crucial for the Ashes series against England at home. He is also not worried about his workload.

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Hazlewood further explained, “That's why I put my hand up for as many tours as I can. Even if I only play two out of three on a tour, it just means I am still touching base with those formats. My game doesn't change too much. I have been around long enough to duck and dive in each format and chop and change.”

Over 1.75 lakh tickets sold out for India-Australia series

Notably, tickets for the Australia-India T20I at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 31 have sold out over three weeks in advance. Cricket Australia confirmed more than 175,000 tickets sold across the eight-match white-ball series, with public allocations for Sydney and Manuka Oval already exhausted.

Adelaide’s ODI and the Gabba T20I have almost sold out, each with fewer than 5,000 tickets left. The Melbourne clash joins the season’s sell-out events alongside 12 Ashes matchdays. AFL member tickets for the MCG game went on sale Monday, with MCC member tickets available Tuesday.