HAZLEWOOD PUTS HIS HAND UP
JOSH Hazlewood believes it’s time for Australia’s bowlers to not only help lead the team — but take ownership of the ball.
After the infamous events in Cape Town, Hazlewood has spent the past few weeks reflecting on his renewed responsibilities to leadership and changing dressing room culture, as he prepares to spearhead Australian cricket’s new era in England next month.
Hazlewood, pictured, admits that there are important lessons to be learnt for the bowlers out of the ball tampering scandal that cast a dark shadow over the trade in which they all specialise — taking wickets for Australia.
As Australia looks to fill its leadership void, the 27-year-old says he sees no reason why a bowler couldn’t be appointed as the new Test vice-captain, with he and Pat Cummins considered genuine candidates for the role.
But Hazlewood’s big push is for one of the bowling group’s own to take over from Cameron Bancroft and David Warner as Australia’s designated “ball shiner”.
It shapes as one of the most scrutinised jobs in Australian cricket, and Hazlewood says that after what has happened, it would be wise to now keep the responsibility in the hands of a bowler.
“When we’re not bowling is when we can take a bit more control,” Hazlewood said.
“It’s hard when you are actually bowling. You get it two seconds before you’re about to run in and you see which one is the shiny side and which is the rough.
“[In Cape Town] … the umpires never changed it so we never suspected anything to be going on.
“The four of us [Hazlewood, Lyon, Cummins and Mitchell Starc] have played a lot of cricket now and Nathan Lyon was even the shiner during the tour match in South Africa and did a pretty good job. It’s probably taking more control of who is shining the ball … on the field and off the field, talking about it.
“We’re going to do everything right and everything possible to put that forward to the group.”
Hazlewood said he felt for Bancroft and Warner in the sense that their actions were designed to advantage the bowlers rather than themselves.
“It was pretty unselfish what they did, but it still crossed the line,” he said.
Australia heads to England for the June one-day series without Starc and Cummins — and Hazlewood will be the one experienced head in charge of a young cast of quicks. Hazlewood is focused on helping mentor 150km/h rookie giant Billy Stanlake in the UK.
Some figures inside Cricket Australia have internally tried to talk down the prospect of a fast bowler being vice-captain. It’s a rarity in world cricket, though James Anderson is England’s current deputy.
“I think leadership comes pretty naturally to me,” Hazlewood said yesterday.
“Even over the last couple of years, it’s become a very different team to when I started and I’ve become a leader pretty early on in my career.”