SYDNEY :Paceman Josh Hazlewood has brushed off worries about Australia’s ageing attack for the Ashes, saying he personally feels as good as he has in a long time and that the unit’s experience of bowling together is a major advantage for the team.
Australia’s stalwart spinner Nathan Lyon will turn 38 during the series, while left-arm quick Mitchell Starc is 35. Skipper Pat Cummins, the youngest of the bowlers at 32, has been ruled out of the first Ashes test but is likely to be replaced by 36-year-old Scott Boland in Perth.
Hazlewood, 34, said the bowling unit that has helped Australia retain the Ashes since the 2017-18 series would break up eventually but there was plenty of life in it yet.
“I feel in the best shape I’ve been in a long time,” Hazlewood told reporters at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.
“I think the experience, not just through red ball cricket, through all the formats, you put all the pieces together.
“You’ve been in so many situations now out in the middle that you’ve learned a lot over the years, not just as an individual but as a group, and we just bounce off each other out there and know each other’s game so well, so we can help each other out.
“There’ll come a time (when we move on), no doubt, but I don’t think it’s yet.”
Hazlewood’s thoughts echoed those of Lyon, who is set to overtake Glenn McGrath as Australia’s second most prolific test wicket-taker after Shane Warne during the series.
“The game has totally changed,” Lyon said this week. “It is a lot more professional than what it was probably 10 years ago with the science behind it all and the recovery.
“I feel like age is just a number. I still feel like I am yet to play my best cricket.”
The Ashes first test starts on November 21.
