Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood dismissed concerns about Australia’s ageing attack for the Ashes, stating that he feels better than he has in a long time and that the team’s collective bowling expertise is a huge asset.
Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc is 35 years old, and Nathan Lyon, Australia’s reliable spinner, will be 38 during the series.
The youngest of the bowlers, 32-year-old captain Pat Cummins, has been ruled out of the first Ashes Test, with 36-year-old Scott Boland set to take his place in Perth.
This bowling group has helped Australia hold onto the Ashes since the 2017–18 series and will eventually disintegrate, but there is still a lot of life in it, according to 34-year-old Hazlewood.
“I feel in the best shape I’ve been in a long time,” Hazlewood told reporters at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.
“I think the experience, not just through red ball cricket, through all the formats, you put all the pieces together.
“You’ve been in so many situations now out in the middle that you’ve learned a lot over the years, not just as an individual but as a group, and we just bounce off each other out there and know each other’s game so well, so we can help each other out.
“There’ll come a time (when we move on), no doubt, but I don’t think it’s yet.”
Lyon, who is expected to surpass Glenn McGrath as Australia’s second-most prolific Test wicket-taker after Shane Warne during the series, shared Hazlewood’s concerns.
“The game has totally changed,” Lyon said this week. “It is a lot more professional than what it was probably 10 years ago with the science behind it all and the recovery.
“I feel like age is just a number. I still feel like I am yet to play my best cricket.”
The first Ashes Test is scheduled to start on November 21.
