Published: Mar 11, 2016, 11:43 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 11, 2016, 11:43 AM (IST)
Australia Test spearhead Josh Hazlewood has expressed apologies for swearing in the final test against New Zealand in February. A wicketless morning session and unsuccessful review on day four led to Hazlewood’s outburst, which was then picked up by the stump microphone. Hazlewood admitted it happened in the heat of the moment and was out of line. Both, Australia captain Steven Smith and Hazlewood, were fined for swearing and indecent behavior on the field. This turn of unfortunate event caught the entire cricketing world’s attention, as it was New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum’s farewell Test match.
“It wasn’t really towards anyone; it was just venting a bit of frustration,” Hazlewood told AAP, adding, “It was definitely out of character. I can’t ever recall doing anything like that. It was just one of those heat-of-the-moment things. We’d had a tough session with a couple of near misses. In the future I have to be a bit smarter. I have to behave better.”
Hazlewood termed the swearing incident as “a definitely one-off.” Hazlewood later added that he got a mouthful from Australia coach Darren Lehmann: “I got a little bit from the coach afterwards. Boof said, “you’ve just got to realise the microphones are on all the time, and realise where you are and what you’re saying”. We’re well-behaved for the majority of the time and there is the odd slip-up. We’ve got to be better and hopefully they happen less and less in the future.”
After that incident, the Australian spearhead had bit of a tussle with New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson. “I know Corey quite well from the IPL. I was just trying to get under his skin a little bit. What happens on the field stays on the field. We’re great mates off it, so it’s all good. The Kiwis are a great bunch of blokes.”
Australia’s 2-0 drubbing over New Zealand put them at the top of the ICC Test ranking. “We really enjoyed those few weeks in New Zealand and had good success. There are no Tests for a while now, so we can hold that No.1 ranking for a little bit and let it sink in,” Hazlewood concluded.
