Ashes 2023: Josh Hazlewood pushes for Ashes return, Jofra Archer fury at ‘secret surgery’ report

England speed demon Jofra Archer has blown up on social media as an Aussie star begins his bid to win back his Test spot. Get all the latest Ashes injury news.

English superstar Jofra Archer has exploded on social media over suggestions he may not be fit for the Ashes, as Josh Hazlewood prepares to take his first step towards a Test comeback.

Hazlewood is on track to play in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s next match in the Indian Premier League to mark the beginning of the Australian quick’s bid to reclaim his Test berth after months out with an Achilles problem.

Australian selectors are desperately hoping Hazlewood can use the back end of the IPL to slowly build his bowling loads back up, although it remains to be seen whether he will be considered for the World Test Championship Final in early June.

During the summer, Hazlewood’s experience at the top level gave him the selection edge over Scott Boland when he returned from injury at the Victorian’s expense for the final Test against South Africa at the SCG.

However, maintaining that pecking order for the Ashes would now require a huge show of faith from selectors, given Hazlewood has now struggled to stay on the park for the past two years.

Josh Hazlewood has been battling an Achilles problem. Picture: Indranil Mukherjee / AFP

England has its own fitness issues, with revelations in the Telegraph that speed demon Archer had secret elbow surgery in Belgium.

Archer has since returned to his IPL franchise, but having not played a single first-class match since May 2021, significant doubts linger over the wicket-taking weapon’s ability to play Test cricket.

Not having Archer on hand for at least a couple of Tests would serve as a massive blow to England given the enormous impact he had as an enforcer in 2019, with his brutal take-down of Steve Smith at Lord’s one of the most frightening spells of bowling witnessed in recent times.

Putting out an article without knowing the facts & without my consent is crazy.

Who ever the reporter is shame on you , an already worrying and troubling time for a player and you exploit it for your personal gain, it’s people like you that are the problem .

— Jofra Archer (@JofraArcher) April 26, 2023

Archer is filthy at the English media’s reporting of his latest elbow woes, with a blow-up on social media highlighting how sensitive the fast bowler is over his fitness battle.

“Whoever the reporter is shame on you. An already worrying and troubling time for a player and you exploit it for your personal gain, it’s people like you that are the problem,” Archer tweeted.

Ashes sledging starts with England villain’s wild claim

– Elizabeth Ammon, The Times

England paceman Stuart Broad has kicked off the pre-Ashes sledging by claiming Australia’s victory in 2021-22 was “a void series”.

Australia retained the Ashes after winning the first three Tests, the fourth was a draw and the hosts won the fifth by 146 runs to win the series 4–0.

However, according to Broad, the thrashing simply doesn’t count.

”Nothing was harsher than the last Ashes series,” he told the Daily Mail.

“But in my mind I don’t class that as a real Ashes. The definition of Ashes cricket is elite sport with lots of passion and players at the top of their game.

“Nothing about that series was high level performance because of the COVID restrictions. The training facilities, the travel, not being able to socialise.

“I’ve written it off as a void series.”

As Pat Cummins and his team prepare to head to England for the forthcoming series, Broad believes that if Australia try to counter “Bazball” with an aggressive approach of their own it will play into England’s hands.

England, led by their head coach, Brendon McCullum, and captain, Ben Stokes, have reinvented Test cricket over the past year, winning ten of 12 matches with a gung-ho approach.

Stuart Broad says the 2021-22 Ashes series is void

Broad, who returned to the Test team last summer after being dropped for England’s tour to the Caribbean a year ago, thinks that if Australia stray from their tried-and-tested approach and attempt to mirror their rivals, it could be their downfall this summer.

“It would be great for us if Australia try to take us on at our own game,” the 36-year-old seamer told the Daily Mail. “If we can get them playing in a slightly different style, they could make mistakes and that would be brilliant for us.

“Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja are all guys who like to bat time and accumulate so if we can nibble away at them and just get them thinking, ‘Why are we not scoring quicker? Why are we not moving the game forward?’

“We leave [the spinner] Jack Leach’s mid-on and mid-off in all the time and Stokesy basically says, ‘You’re not having them back. Let them keep hitting you.’ And he’s probably got more caught mid-offs now than lbws, so it’s playing on minds. I’d love Smith to dance down the track and sky one to mid-off early doors. That would be classic.”

England were well and truly thrashed in Australia

Broad has been in early-season action for Nottinghamshire, taking nine wickets at 21.88 in the two matches he has played. He is expected to play another couple of championship matches in May before England play Ireland in a four-day Test at Lord’s starting on June 1.

Ashes preparations are going less smoothly for his fellow bowler Jofra Archer, who travelled to Belgium this month for surgery on his right elbow.

Archer, who is back with his Indian Premier League franchise, Mumbai Indians, previously underwent two operations last year on the troublesome elbow and suffered discomfort after playing in Mumbai’s opening match of this year’s tournament, which resulted in him missing their next five games.

After flying from Mumbai to Antwerp to see Dr Roger van Riet, a specialist elbow surgeon who also operated on the England bowler Mark Wood last year, Archer returned to action on Saturday for Mumbai’s match against Punjab Kings and, although he failed to take a wicket, he appeared to be pain-free and reached 90mph.

Originally published as Ashes 2023: Josh Hazlewood pushes for Ashes return, Jofra Archer fury at ‘secret surgery’ report