Josh Hazlewood is confident he will be fit for Australia’s T20 World Cup opener despite missing the Ashes with hamstring and Achilles issues. The fast bowler is targeting a warm-up game and won’t play BBL or Pakistan T20Is. He mentioned that the recovery is on track.
Josh Hazlewood is confident he will be fit for the start of Australia’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign in Sri Lanka next month after an injury-hit summer ruled him out of key assignments. The fast bowler has not played since missing the opening stages of the Ashes and is now targeting a return via a warm-up match ahead of the tournament.
Hazlewood was sidelined initially by a hamstring strain before an Achilles issue emerged during his rehabilitation. He will not feature in the latter part of the Big Bash League for the Sydney Sixers, nor in the T20I series against Pakistan in late January. Australia’s World Cup schedule provides some flexibility, with their first match against Ireland on February 11.
“Everything’s going to plan. We took a few extra weeks once we couldn’t make the Test matches. I had a couple of bowls off the half-run last week. Running’s going well, all the strength stuff’s going well so, yeah, on track,” Hazlewood told ESPNcricinfo.
Chair of selectors George Bailey has previously indicated Pat Cummins could be managed if required, but Australia are unlikely to carry more than one player unavailable at the start of the tournament.
Hazlewood addresses his recent history with injuries
Hazlewood’s recent career has been disrupted by injuries, having completed only one home summer without interruption since the 2020–21 season. While he has worked with medical staff to assess recurring issues, he attributed the hamstring problem to misfortune and described the Achilles concern as part of a longer-term ankle niggle.
“Sometimes, when one thing goes and the other thing resurfaces. But it [the ankle] was probably another thing I’d been just managing over the last few years, and then it just creeps up,” Hazlewood said.
He added that adjustments are being considered to his bowling workload ahead of future red-ball cricket.
“But we’re still working on implementing training a different way a little bit… potentially bowling two or three days in a row and then having four or five days off,” he mentioned.