Josh Hazlewood hadn’t thrown a ball in a Test match on his home field in two years. He hardly could have put on a more impressive show to announce his comeback. It would be a stretch to argue that Hazlewood needs a strong performance; he already has 217 Test wickets at an average of 26.16 before today.
However, there is a rivalry between Australia’s two fast-bowling places, especially when there are only two. This week, test average leader Scott Boland is observing from the sidelines. For Hazlewood, the 2021–22 Ashes series was also being played out during this miserable summer, which was cut short by a side strain.
Being excluded from the starting XI due to conditions-based selection, this is only his sixth Test in two years. But prior to this game, he was certain that the pecking order was still in place and that this behavior was typical of Hazlewood.
Dean Elgar’s second ball resulted in an edge that sailed wide of third slip, defeating the South Africa skipper twice before the over was done. Similar pattern with two skimming beyond the outer edge was seen in Hazlewood’s subsequent over.
The third umpire, Richard Kettleborough, decided after much consideration that Steven Smith’s attempt to hold what would have been one of the great slip catches was not quite a clean grab, giving Hazlewood the advantage from the first delivery of his third delivery.
Hazlewood stated, “I took a really good look and believed it was clearly out and think most of the others out there did. But Elgar, who had a miserable tour, was barely hanging on. When he deflected a short ball off his gloves and it went just in front of the short leg, he nearly fell to Pat Cummins.
Hazlewood, though, would not be disbelieved. He bowled a devastating short ball from close to the wicket in the fifth over of a demanding stint, which Elgar could only glove through to a bounding Alex Carey. Elgar had played in all but one inning of the trip and had a 9.20 average. He had been South Africa’s best chance to withstand Australia’s bowlers.
Although it was a reward for excellent Test bowling, Hazlewood remained unassuming about his comeback performance. We certainly witnessed a few no-balls from me and Patty as a result of the windy and swirling conditions, he added, but he felt good throughout the whole day.”
Hazlewood had one more over left in his first period and believed he had outwitted Henrich Klaasen, but the DRS determined that there was insufficient evidence to conclusively determine if he had struck the ball, and it also appeared to be struck outside the line.
After tea, he was momentarily held back, but it didn’t take long for him to be invited on to contribute to his success. He pulled Temba Bavuma into a poke in the channel outside that has been the trademark of his career.
It’s still unclear how many consecutive Tests Hazlewood can put together; it will depend on the conditions in India. Given how Pakistan and Sri Lanka fared, Mitchell Starc is questionable for the opening Test in Nagpur, but if he is available, he and Pat Cummins will be the first choices if only two players are chosen.