Hazlewood became only the ninth Australian bowler to claim 300 Test wickets when Bangladesh batter Mehidy Hasan Miraz edged behind in the 26th over of the innings. The milestone capped a significant comeback for the 35-year-old, who had been sidelined for much of the previous year and had featured in only six of Australia\u2019s last 14 Tests amid an injury-disrupted period.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
His performance became even more notable given the circumstances surrounding his selection. With Boland also competing for a place in Australia\u2019s pace attack, Hazlewood responded with a match-shaping spell on a surface where the other Australian bowlers had struggled to make regular inroads.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Boland, who was himself in contention for the opening Test, highlighted the physical and technical attributes that make Hazlewood such a difficult bowler to face. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
In a video shared by cricket.com.au, Boland said, \u201cHe's got all the attributes all fast bowlers would love to have, like he's 6 foot 5 or 6, can bowl 140km\/h, puts the ball on a 10 cent piece, can move the ball both ways, like he can, you know, as a bowler you sort of look at him and go, \u2018Jeez I'd like to have some of that.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The consistency of Hazlewood\u2019s approach has also been a defining feature of his career, according to Head, who pointed to the understated manner in which the pacer operates despite his sustained success at the highest level.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe's quiet about his work. He's a quiet achiever and goes about his work and he just gels in so well, doesn\u2019t he? Goes about it. He's just relentless always. He's had some great results and I'm sure the summer will be the same,\u201d Head said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Cummins, who has shared the Australian attack with Hazlewood for years, went beyond the conventional description of the pacer as someone who simply hits a good length. The Australia captain emphasised the evolution of Hazlewood\u2019s bowling and his ability to adapt across conditions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe boring stuff that everyone always, you know, says is he hits a really good area, time and time again he's got bounce, I mean that's one asset that I think is obvious, but I think, you know, he's changed the way he's bowled a little bit, he's now got, you know, a wobble seam he uses quite a bit, he's really good with reverse swing, you know, when we play overseas he finds a way to take wickets in pretty much whatever conditions, so he's probably a bit more adaptable than he gets credit for and again for a big guy he can bowl 20 overs in a day no worries, which is rare in world cricket when you look around. And he's been doing it for over a decade now,\u201d skipper Pat Cummins said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Cummins, who has shared the Australian attack with Hazlewood for years, went beyond the conventional description of the pacer as someone who simply hits a good length. The Australia captain emphasised the evolution of Hazlewood\u2019s bowling and his ability to adapt across conditions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The achievement has added another chapter to Hazlewood\u2019s career, with his record now standing alongside some of Australia\u2019s most accomplished bowlers. Among Australia\u2019s nine 300-wicket Test bowlers, only Glenn McGrath, Cummins and Dennis Lillee have recorded better bowling averages than Hazlewood\u2019s 24.02.<\/p>\r\n\r\n