Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood is eager to make his return to the international circuit after the latest injury setback that saw him get ruled out of the remainder of The Ashes. Notably, he had sustained a hamstring injury ahead of the series, but was expected to return as the assignment progressed. However, he was entirely ruled out due to an achilles issue that he picked up during a training session.
However, the pacer is still determined to deliver in international cricket in the coming future and is determined to play in all the three formats. Hazlewood further remarked that his body still feels as strong as ever.
“Yeah absolutely. My body still feels as strong as ever. It’s just little things here and there that creep in. I’m still determined to play three formats as best I can. You’re still going to miss the odd game here and there, no one can do it all, unless you’re a batter, but I still enjoy all the different demands of the three formats. It keeps it fresh getting ready and preparing for each different format," Hazlewood told Sydney's Daily Telegraph.
Hazlewood opens up on achilles injury
Hazlewood further went on to express his disappointment over missing the ongoing Ashes series in its entirety and said that he could have returned to action after one or two matches if he hadn't sustained the achilles problem.
“Once you’re injured mid-series or just before a series starts, you’re chasing your tail a lot of the time anyway. I probably could have got back for one or two tests with the hamstring, but then you leave yourself quite vulnerable going into a test match on the back of not much. Every day you’re not bowling is another day you’ve got to bowl to get back to where you were. Obviously, things are easier when you’re up and going and you’ve got some good work under you," he added.
Hazlewood's recurrent injury problems
Hazlewood has had a history of injuries and has suffered a lot of setbacks especially since 2022. He has been ruled out of multiple home, overseas series and even important finals. It remains to be seen if he will be able to return in time for the 2026 T20 World Cup.