Josh Hazlewood says Scott Boland likely to be needed in India series

Josh Hazlewood thinks Australia’s first-choice pace attack playing all seven Tests last summer was “probably a one-off” as he backed Scott Boland to return at some stage.

Hazlewood said there were no plans to rotate him, Mitchell Starc or captain Pat Cummins out of the side during the five-match India series, but conceded an unpredictable workload for the frontline quicks could force changes.

Australia’s bowling attack was unchanged through the 2023-24 campaign, but the three quicks had the support of a strong fifth bowling option in Cameron Green, who was ruled out of the summer after undergoing back surgery last week.

Fast bowling great Brett Lee called for Australia to push the star trio through the full series against India, telling Fox Cricket: “we don’t want to see players get injured … but this is what you sign up to do”.

But Hazlewood said it would be impossible to make that call until the day before each match in a crowded schedule where four of the five Tests will be played back-to-back.

“It feels the same question every year – if you’re fit, you play, if you’re not, you don’t play,” he told reporters on Thursday.

“We’ve got enough in the stable to roll through a couple of guys who we know can do a really good job and put a little bit of pressure on us from time to time, so no dramas there.

“It’s not like a T20 or one-dayer where you know you’re going to bowl 10 (overs) or you know you’re going to bowl four. You could bowl 50 overs, you could bowl 25, so there’s really no point in planning for it.

“We did it last year, but it was probably a one-off … it’s literally make a call the day before.”

Hazlewood, who will play for New South Wales in a One-Day Cup clash against Victoria at the Junction Oval on Friday, said he planned to play in the following Sheffield Shield game on November 1 to get “miles in the legs” ahead of the India series.

It meant he was set to miss the ODI series opener against Pakistan at the MCG on November 4.

He joked that Starc had overdone it by sending down 37 overs in his return to red-ball cricket against Victoria this week.

“Nah, that was a bit too much. It takes a lot for Starcy to stop bowling, so I don’t think anyone would have been saying anything,” Hazlewood said.

“I think anything around 30 (overs) is a really good workout … tick all those boxes with the back-to-back bowling and just get those miles in the legs and get ready for Test cricket.”

Hazlewood had spoken to Boland after the Shield clash, and said he expected the 35-year-old to have some role at the top level in the coming months.

The Victorian has been a permanent Test squad member but not been called upon to play since the third Ashes Test in July last year.

“I chatted to (Boland) a little bit after actually, just a few texts … he said he was a little bit rusty going in, but slowly got better as the game got going,” Hazlewood said.

“He’s the one who I think thrives on bowling as well – the more he plays, the better he gets.

“We know what he can do at the top level, so I’ve no doubt he’ll play a part at some stage in the summer, or even overseas in the Test tours to come.

“He’s a great guy to have around the group, and a really good competitor when he’s out there.”