WTC Final: Josh Hazlewood confident ahead of Lord’s clash, eyes return after injury layoff

Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood expressed confidence about bowling in England ahead of the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's on June 11. Having taken 52 wickets in 12 Tests in England at an average of 26.07, including five wickets in his recent Ashes appearance at Lord's, Hazlewood plans to increase his pace before the crucial match.

Hazlewood hasn't played Test cricket since December 2024 at The Gabba against India due to a calf strain. Scott Boland, who replaced him, claimed a 10-wicket haul against India at Sydney, creating competition for the third seamer's position at Lord's.

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"Any time I bowl in England, I'm reasonably confident. I've had some good tours here over the last 10 years, and Lord's in particular. I haven't lost before at Lord's yet as a player, certainly in red-ball cricket for sure, and we have had a couple of good wins there over the years."

"Today is sort of post-flight and just to get moving. I will probably nail down a few more overs tomorrow and then over the next few days, tick a lot of boxes," Hazlewood told ICC on Saturday.

Hazlewood's recent participation in IPL 2025, where he won the title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has helped him maintain his bowling rhythm despite a minor shoulder niggle.



"I ticked over some good overs just before the (IPL) Final in Ahmedabad in different weather than this, and it was quite a tough session. And then obviously, every time you play a game in the IPL, you're probably going to get almost seven or eight overs in, if you really want to."

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"So in and around with warm-ups, and obviously the four overs in the game. And we bowled second a lot of the time in IPL, so that was sort of two warm-ups, so you can squeeze in overs here and there, and things are going pretty well."

"Everyone looks in good shape. We've all been in different parts of the world playing or training over the last couple of months, so it's good to get everyone together and catch up with everyone yesterday and the day before and get all on the same page moving forward."

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