In Sheffield Shield 3rd round, Hazlewood set for first-class cricket return
Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is set to make his season debut for New South Wales in the ongoing Sheffield Shield, preparing for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India, starting November 22. Hazlewood has been a key player for Australia in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25, taking 51 wickets in 11 matches with an impressive average of 20.45 and a best performance of 5/31.
Reports indicate that fellow NSW player and star spinner Nathan Lyon has been rested. Hazlewood was originally scheduled to participate in last week’s One Day Cup match against Victoria alongside Pat Cummins but was sidelined due to illness. The upcoming Shield match against Queensland will mark his first competitive appearance since the England white-ball tour in September and is expected to be his only match before facing India.
Lyon had aimed to play three Shield matches leading up to the home series but, after bowling 104 overs across two matches against South Australia and Victoria and securing 10 wickets, including a five-wicket haul against SA, he is unlikely to feature again in the tournament.