Published: Jun 16, 2016, 10:44 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 16, 2016, 10:53 AM (IST)
Australia‘s tour of Sri Lanka beginning in the month of July, will be a contest to watch out for as the No. 1 Test side in the world looks to continue its dominance in the format. The Australians haven’t played test cricket since February, when they last won a series 2-0 in New Zealand. The three-Test series in Sri Lanka will although be a different challenge for Australia with conditions and pitches favoring spin bowlers. But fast bowler Josh Hazlewood believes spin won’t be the only weapon Australia will come out with. The 25-year old thinks that the pacers will also have to be right on the money and chip-in with early wickets. ALSO READ: Steve Waugh hails Australia’s pace bowling unit
Hazlewood said – “We’re looking to get the tour off to a flying start and take wickets up front, put them under pressure and let Nathan (Lyon) do his thing,” as quoted by cricket.com.au. Nathan Lyon has been named in Australia’s squad for the tour and will be leading the spin attack for Australia.
But Hazlewood, who is currently in the Caribbean for the tri-series against South Africa and the hosts West Indies feels the pacers will have to contribute as well. He said – “I don’t think it’s going to swing too much with the new ball – it’s more the old one. “If we can be potent with that and get that going, that’s going to be handy for us.” ALSO READ: West Indies Tri-Nation Series: Josh Hazlewood’s comparisons with Glenn McGrath reignite
Australia’s pace attack has performed well in the tri-series so far and Hazlewood is hoping that their experience in the Caribbean will certainly help their ambitions when they visit Sri Lanka. He said – “Obviously they’re similar conditions and we’ve been lucky enough to get a bit of reverse-swing in the past couple of games. It’s going to be a big key for the quicks in Sri Lanka.”
However, Mitchell Starc, Hazlewood’s team-mate is the only pacer with experience of playing Test cricket in the Indian sub-continent. Nathan Coulter-Nile is yet to make his Test debut and Hazlewood himself hasn’t had the chance of playing in whites for Australia in the Indian sub-continent as well. Although, he is looking forward to the challenge.
“So it’ll be a bit of an eye-opener I guess. But I’ve played a lot of limited-overs cricket on those wickets. The one spot we’ve struggled a lot is the subcontinent. We’ve got three Tests in Sri Lanka and four in India in the next 12 months so there’s going to be plenty of opportunities to do better in those conditions,” said Hazlewood.
