Cricket

Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood has expressed his relief at not having to bowl to veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Pujara has been a thorn in Australia's side in recent years, amassing 792 runs at an average of 56.57 in his last two Test series Down Under."I'm pretty happy that Puj isn't here (smiles)," Hazlewood said to reporters ahead of the opening Test in Perth. "He's obviously one that bats time, makes you really earn his wicket every time, has done really well in Australia on all these tours."Pujara's absence is a significant boost for Australia, who have struggled to dismiss him in the past. In the 2018-19 series, he scored three centuries and averaged 74.42, while in the 2020-21 tour, he scored 271 runs with three half-centuries.Hazlewood also acknowledged the depth of India's batting lineup, despite Pujara's absence. "There's always young, fresh guys coming into the Indian team that they're under so much pressure to perform in the Indian team with with so many guys nipping at their heels all the time," he said. "Whoever they pick in that XI, they're unbelievable players. It doesn't really matter who they pick, they're all great players."Another challenge for India going into the first Test is the absence of Shubman Gill, who fractured his left thumb during a match simulation over the weekend. Gill is ruled out of the first Test, and his availability for the rest of the series is uncertain."Anytime you disrupt the top-six it's a bit of an issue," Hazlewood said. "But as I said the amount of talent in the Indian squad is quite unbelievable, the depth is phenomenal, better than any other country in the world. So whoever comes in has earned their stripes and no doubt will do well."

Josh Hazlewood will make his long-awaited return to competitive cricket for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match against Queensland, marking his first appearance of the season. The experienced fast bowler had been sidelined due to illness but is now set to ramp up his preparations for the upcoming Test series against India.Hazlewood's inclusion in the NSW squad comes as Nathan Lyon has been rested after bowling a significant number of overs in the previous two Shield matches. The legspinner is expected to return for the Test series but will not feature in the upcoming fixture.The absence of Lyon and several other players due to international and Australia A commitments has significantly impacted the teams for round three of the Shield. NSW will be without Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott, Sam Konstas, and Josh Phillippe, while Queensland will miss Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Mark Steketee, Gurinder Sandhu, and Callum Vidler.Despite the player unavailability, both NSW and Queensland have named strong squads. NSW will welcome back allrounder Jack Edwards from a hamstring injury, while Tanveer Sangha will replace Lyon as the legspinner. Queensland will be led by Mitchell Swepson, with Usman Khawaja and Matthew Renshaw providing experience in the batting lineup.South Australia, who are also missing key players due to national and Australia A call-ups, will be captained by Alex Carey. The wicketkeeper-batsman has been in excellent form and will be looking to continue his run-scoring against Victoria.The upcoming round of Shield matches will provide valuable preparation for the players involved in the upcoming Test series against India. Hazlewood's return will be particularly important for NSW, as he aims to regain match fitness and sharpness ahead of the first Test in Nagpur.

Bowlers' Trickery: Josh Hazlewood's Cunning Deception to Dismiss Liam LivingstoneIn the ever-evolving landscape of cricket, where batsmen continuously innovate with audacious shots, bowlers must also adapt and devise new strategies to outwit their opponents. One such instance of bowling brilliance was witnessed in the first T20I between England and Australia at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood showcased his cunning deception to dismiss England's Liam Livingstone. Bowling the 14th over, Hazlewood initially displayed the grip and hand position of an off-cutter, leading Livingstone to anticipate a slower delivery. However, in a swift move, Hazlewood switched his grip and unleashed a full-paced delivery.The ball crashed into the hard length outside off stump, catching Livingstone off guard. The batsman's lack of footwork and attempt to stab at the ball resulted in an inside edge that crashed into his stumps. Despite the absence of significant movement, Hazlewood's clever deception proved decisive.Bowlers employ various tactics to disrupt batsmen's rhythm and force errors. Some slow down their deliveries or accelerate them unexpectedly to unsettle the batsman's timing. Others rely on swing and seam to make the ball move unpredictably.These strategies demand a combination of skill, guile, and an understanding of the batsman's mindset. Hazlewood's dismissal of Livingstone exemplified all these qualities, demonstrating the importance of bowling variations and outsmarting the opposition.

England and Australia Clash in T20I Opener Amidst Key AbsencesEngland and Australia will face off in the first T20I of their three-match series in Southampton, with both teams missing several key players due to injuries and other commitments.England, who are without captain Jos Buttler, will be led by explosive opener and keeper-batter Phil Salt. The hosts have named a youthful squad for the series, with batter Jordan Cox, 20-year-old allrounder Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Overton set to make their T20 international debuts.Australia, on the other hand, will be boosted by the return of senior pacer Josh Hazlewood, who sat out during last week's series sweep of Scotland. The visitors will also be without captain Aaron Finch, who is recovering from a knee injury.The match will be a crucial test for both teams as they prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. England will be looking to build on their recent success in the format, while Australia will be eager to prove their credentials as one of the favorites for the tournament.Key Players to Watch:* Phil Salt (England): The explosive opener will be looking to make a statement in his first match as captain.* Josh Hazlewood (Australia): The experienced pacer will be key to Australia's bowling attack.* Jordan Cox (England): The young batter will be hoping to impress on his international debut.* Jacob Bethell (England): The allrounder will be looking to contribute with both bat and ball.* Mitchell Marsh (Australia): The allrounder will be a key figure in Australia's middle order.

Josh Hazlewood's calf strain has ruled him out of Australia's T20I series against Scotland next month, adding to the team's injury woes. Riley Meredith has been called up as his replacement.Hazlewood sustained the injury during training last week, and while it is described as minor, the selectors are likely to take a cautious approach ahead of a busy home summer that includes five Tests against India. He is expected to be available for the T20Is and ODIs against England later in September.Meredith, who last played for Australia in 2021, has been in impressive form for Somerset in England's white-ball competitions. He has taken 14 wickets in the T20 Blast and six in the one-day cup, including a match-winning 4 for 27 against Middlesex at Lord's.Hazlewood's absence is the second blow to Australia's pace attack, with Spencer Johnson also ruled out with a side strain. The pace attack for the Scotland series will now feature Meredith, Xavier Bartlett, Sean Abbott, and Nathan Ellis, alongside allrounders Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, and Marcus Stoinis. Adam Zampa and the uncapped Cooper Connolly will provide the spin.Hazlewood was the only one of Australia's "big three" quicks initially included for the full tour of the UK. Mitchell Starc will feature in the ODIs against England, while Pat Cummins is missing the entire trip to focus on strength and conditioning ahead of the home summer."The priority at the moment is to smash out some gym work and start reassessing in a few weeks a path forward," Cummins said last week. "I'm just trying to fill up the bucket again after two years of non-stop bowling. [Hoping] come that first Test [against India] in as good of a position as I have been in for a few years."Australia fly out to Scotland on Monday with the first T20I taking place in Edinburgh on September 4.

Australia's victory over Scotland in the T20 World Cup 2024 has sparked controversy after comments made by Josh Hazlewood suggesting that Australia would benefit from eliminating England from the tournament. However, Mitchell Starc has dismissed these claims as "blown out of proportion" by the media.Hazlewood's initial remarks, made earlier in the week, hinted at a scenario where Australia could "drag out" their match against Scotland to potentially hinder England's progress. The Australian camp has since downplayed the comments, emphasizing that Hazlewood was joking and his words were taken out of context.Despite having nothing to play for in the match against Scotland, Australia's performance was far from their best. They dropped six catches and struggled in the chase, raising questions about their approach. However, Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis, and Tim David eventually guided Australia to victory with two balls to spare.Mitchell Marsh, Australia's captain, dismissed any suggestion that England's fate had been a topic of discussion within the team. "I think more externally than internally," he said.Starc, who was critical of the tournament's pre-seeding structure, also defended Hazlewood's comments. "I think a throwaway line has been blown right out of proportion by you lot," he said, referring to the media. "We're here to win games. It's international cricket."Brandon McMullen, Scotland's top scorer, expressed confidence in Australia's intentions. "They're always going to put up a good fight," he said.Despite the controversy, Australia's victory ensures England's progress to the Super Eight. However, the tournament's structure has come under scrutiny, with Starc questioning the fairness of pre-seeding and the potential for information asymmetry.

Ahead of England's crucial T20 World Cup match against Oman, head coach Matthew Mott expressed his hope that Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood's comments about eliminating England from the tournament were made in jest.England's victory over Oman in their Group B clash at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Friday kept their hopes alive, but they face the risk of elimination. Currently fourth in the group after a no result against Scotland and a loss to Australia, defeat against Namibia in their final match will end their title defense.Australia has already secured a spot in the Super Eight, and if Scotland defeats them on Sunday, the Scots could also advance alongside the 2021 champions.In a pre-match press conference, Hazlewood had stated that eliminating England would be in the best interests of everyone. "In this tournament, you potentially come up against England at some stage again and they are probably one of the top few teams on their day and we have had some real struggles against them in T20 cricket, so if we can get them out of the tournament that's in our best interest as well as probably (that of) everyone else," Hazlewood said, according to ESPNcricinfo.Mott downplayed Hazlewood's remarks, suggesting that they were made in good humor. "To be honest, I was informed of that this morning. Look to me, that is things out of our control and I think I know Josh pretty well and I know his integrity. I do not think that is a thing. He has got a very good sense of humour and hopefully, that is what he was doing," Mott said at the pre-match press conference.Mott emphasized that the team is focused on winning their next game, regardless of Hazlewood's comments or any other external noise. "I know Jos (Buttler) spoke really well yesterday about how we need to push hard in this game as well and I think that is what teams do. Nice, cool, calculated response. It is going to be a good wicket out here by the looks of it. We are going with a lot of confidence, I think. We have played good T20 cricket for a while now. It did not quite come off against Australia in the last game but I think we have got our structure in place, we are really confident. Those who saw us train yesterday, you can see a buoyant group up and about that is ready for the challenge ahead," he added.Mott acknowledged that while England has shown glimpses of its fearless cricket, the tournament has been disjointed for them. He also stated that the team aims to take quick wickets during the powerplay. "I do think it is a different ball game when you do take wickets in the power play, it is something we aim to do and hopefully comes off in this game. It does make your life a lot easier when you can come out of the power play and batters are not set but I think over time we will sort that out and certainly that is a big aim for our guys in this contest out here," he said.

Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, has vehemently denied any possibility of his team manipulating their net run rate to eliminate England from the T20 World Cup 2024. Cummins emphasized that such tactics would violate the Spirit of Cricket.Initially, Australia had the potential to defeat Scotland by a margin that could have eliminated England. However, England's emphatic victory over Oman significantly boosted their net run rate, rendering the scenario moot.Despite Josh Hazlewood's earlier comments suggesting that it would be in Australia's best interests to knock out England, Cummins dismissed them as non-serious. He reiterated that Australia's focus is always on playing to the best of their abilities, regardless of the potential impact on other teams."I think when you go out and play, you are trying your best every time," Cummins said. "Haven't really thought too deeply because it's never really popped up."Cummins acknowledged that net run rate is a factor in the tournament format, but he stressed that it does not alter Australia's approach to the game."It's something you kind of discuss as one of the quirks of the set-up, but in terms of does it change the way we play, absolutely not," he said.With no points or net run rate carried forward to the Super Eight stage, Australia is likely to rest some players against Scotland. Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, and Ashton Agar are potential candidates for inclusion.Mitchell Starc is expected to be available after recovering from calf soreness. Cummins himself was rested for the opening match against Oman.Cummins indicated that player rotation may occur during the group stage but not in the Super Eight stage, despite the demanding schedule."It's a bit of a luxury now in this first section of the tournament, but once we get to the Super Eights, don't think they'll be any resting," he said.

Australia's T20 World Cup preparations got off to a strong start with a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Namibia in their opening warm-up match. Despite missing several key players, Australia's depleted squad showcased their depth and talent.Josh Hazlewood led the charge with an impressive new-ball spell, taking two wickets in his first three overs. The absence of regular bowlers forced Australia to field four substitutes, including head coach Andrew McDonald and national selector George Bailey.David Warner, returning from an injury-hit IPL season, made the most of his time at the crease, smashing a 20-ball half-century. Warner's innings set the tone for Australia's chase, which they completed with ease in just 10.3 overs.Ashton Agar, recalled for the tournament, opened the attack with Hazlewood and bowled economically. Adam Zampa and Nathan Ellis also contributed with wickets, while Tim David's part-time offspin proved useful.Namibia struggled to build partnerships, with only Jan Frylinck (38) offering significant resistance. Australia's fielding was sharp, with Borovec taking a fine catch to dismiss Davin.The victory provides a confidence boost for Australia ahead of their second warm-up match against hosts West Indies on Thursday. The team will be hoping to continue their winning ways and fine-tune their preparations for the main event.