Australia’s summer of cricket 2023-24: Josh Hazlewood on why young quicks should have to fight for a Test debut

Josh Hazlewood was once a rookie fighting for a place in the Test team, and, BEN HORNE writes, he has a message for Lance ‘Wild Thing’ Morris and the latest crop of Test hopefuls.

Josh Hazlewood has warned Lance Morris and Australia’s emerging fast bowlers there will be no free passes to break into the Test team this summer.

It was that way for Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc when they cut their teeth, and the pace champion believes it should be the way of the present and the future for young guys to have to fight their way into the line-up.

Australian selectors must be mindful of the fact its all-conquering bowling cartel is in its 30s and at some point a regeneration will need to take place, but Hazlewood insists there should be no such thing as blooding a youngster for experience in the brutal and sacred domain of Test match cricket.

Josh Hazlewood has warned Test hopefuls like Lance Morris that he won’t give up his spot in the Test team without a fight. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Hazlewood says it’s easy to forget that he and Starc had to bide their time for a crack, and it should be the same for Morris and the new breed.

“You don’t want the three of us (Hazlewood, Starc and Pat Cummins) finishing at the same time with Nath (Lyon) … but again, it’s a Test match for Australia. We’re definitely not going to give our spot up easily,” Hazlewood told this masthead.

“Unless we warrant being dropped, we want to play as much as we can.

“You have a very small window. You just don’t want to give up a Test match against West Indies or Pakistan to blood a new guy.

“He’ll (Morris) get there at some stage, there’s no doubt. As will a couple of other quicks.

“But it was the same thing when we were coming through at the start. There was Ryan Harris, there was Mitchell Johnson, Siddle. So it took a lot of effort to displace one of them from the team and hopefully it’s the same for these young guys.”

Josh Hazlewood looks on as Siddle bowls in practice early in Hazlewood’s career.

Australia’s management of its fast bowlers this summer will be interesting given they’re all coming off a taxing World Cup campaign.

Hazlewood has broken down in the first Test of the last two summers following T20 World Cups, but there’s no suggestion selectors will ease him into the five-day format when the Perth Test against Pakistan kicks off next Thursday.

Starc is also expected to be fit for the Perth after his World Cup duties.

At an event at the SCG last week when presenting the World Cup trophy to Cricket Australia Chairman Mike Baird, Starc made it clear he would not be resting.

Captain Cummins reiterated that the only reason a fast bowler would be left out of an attack this summer is if he’s not fit – and there was no such thing anymore as rest and rotation.

Nevertheless Morris is on the cusp of a Test debut given he was shadowing the starting quicks last Test summer and is capable of game-breaking speeds of 150km/h.

Young South Australian Jordan Buckingham has also announced himself as a player of interest with a five-wicket haul against the Pakistanis in a four-day first-class match for the Prime Minister’s XI.

During the gruelling five-match Ashes campaign it could be argued Australia could have benefited from a high voltage weapon like Morris to counteract the impact England’s speed machine Mark Wood had when injected into the series in the third Test.

Lance Morris’ ability to bowl consistently fast has him at the top of the next crew of hopeful Test fast bowlers. Picture: James Worsfold/Getty Images

Despite the fact none of them are prepared to give an inch when it comes to selection, Morris said Hazlewood, Starc and Cummins have been a huge source of support since he came into the Australian fold.

“I had plenty of time with them on the road and had some really nice opportunities to have a few sessions with them,” Morris said.

“Literally just talking at the end of the run up, about what they’re trying to get out of the session, what they’re working on.

“I guess my main takeaway is, they really own their own space and I know that’s really what the Australian team is about at the moment.

“Their culture is owning your own space, knowing what you need to get out of your training and I think I came away from the CA set-up probably being a little bit more switched on about my own game: what I need to get out of a training session.”

Originally published as Australia’s summer of cricket 2023-24: Josh Hazlewood on why young quicks should have to fight for a Test debut