Josh Hazlewood has confidence in Australia’s aging bowling attack for Ashes

Paceman Josh Hazlewood has dismissed concerns about Australia’s aging attack in the Ashes, saying he personally feels as good as he has in a long time and that the unit’s experience of bowling together is a major benefit to the team.

Australia’s tough spinner Nathan Lyon will be 38 during the series, while left-arm quick Mitchell Starc is 35. Skipper Pat Cummins, the youngest of the bowlers at 32, has been ruled out of the first Ashes Test but is likely to be replaced by 36-year-old Scott Boland in Perth.

Hazlewood, 34, said the bowling unit that helped Australia retain the Ashes since the 2017-18 series would eventually disintegrate, but there was still plenty of life in it.

“I’m feeling in the best shape I’ve been in a long time,” Hazlewood told reporters at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

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«I think through the experience, not just red ball cricket, through all formats, you’ve put all the pieces together. You’ve been in so many situations in the middle now that you’ve learned a lot over the years, not just as individuals but as a group, and we just bounce off each other and know each other’s game so well so we can help each other. No doubt there will come a time (when we move on) but I don’t think that’s the time,» he added.

Hazlewood’s thoughts echoed those of Lyon, who is set to overtake Glenn McGrath as Australia’s second-most prolific Test wicket-taker after Shane Warne during the series.

“The game has completely changed,” Lyon said this week.

«It’s a lot more professional than it was probably 10 years ago, with the science behind it and the recovery. I feel like age is just a number. I still feel like I’m yet to play my best cricket,» he added.

The first Test of Ashes starts on November 21.

Published on November 8, 2025