'It Surprised Me'- Josh Hazlewood on Ben Stokes' Request to Prepare Flat Tracks for the Ashes
Josh Hazlewood missed WTC final due to injury | Source: Twitter
With the World Test Championship final wrapped up and Australia emerging as the ultimate Test champions, all eyes are now set on the highly anticipated Ashes series against England, slated to commence on June 16.
England is hosting the Ashes series this year, sparking discussions about the type of pitch and playing conditions they will provide for the five-match Test series. Earlier, England captain Ben Stokes confirmed that they have requested flat and fast pitches.
However, Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood feels that England’s decision of preparing a batting track could misfire. With the ‘Bazball’ approach in mind, England’s fearless batting would sit well on a flat wicket.
However, Hazlewood conceded that if he was England, he would look to prepare a bowler-friendly wicket to trouble the visiting team. Here’s what the Australian pacer told AAP:
“It surprised me when (Stokes made his pitch request). It might have been a furphy, who knows. But if I am England, I am probably going the opposite way. You are probably going to take green wickets that are doing a fair bit, and then back yourself to make more runs than us on those types of wickets. They come to Australia, and the wickets are harder, flatter, and faster. And we've seen the results.”
Josh Hazlewood, who featured in a few matches for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the recently concluded edition of the Indian Premier League, unfortunately missed the last couple of games for the team in the cash-rich league.
He had to return to Australia to prepare for the WTC final. However, subsequent scans revealed that he had not fully recovered from his injury, leading to his exclusion from the championship final.
As a replacement, Scott Boland stepped in and left a significant impact in the World Test Championship with his stellar performance. He picked up five wickets across the two innings in the high-stakes encounter against India.
If Josh Hazlewood manages to regain his complete fitness prior to the highly-anticipated Ashes series, it will pose a major dilemma for the Australian Cricket Board as they weigh the choice between Scott Boland and their experienced pacer.
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