Josh Hazlewood bats for improved Kookaburra balls in the upcoming Australian summer

India will tour Australia for a full series in November.

Josh Hazlewood. (Getty)

Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood has batted for getting improved Kookaburra balls in the upcoming Australian summer at home. They play India for a full series against India starting late November and seeing both England and Indian bowlers getting priodigious swing in the ongoing series, Hazlewood also is hoping to get the same. 

Hazlewood, who admits he's watched Virat Kohli's men closely ahead of their four-Test tour of Australia, feels the Dukes has been responsible for an absorbing balance between bat and ball.

England and India have failed to pass 400 in any innings so far. It's been in sharp contrast to the run-laden Tests of recent Australian summers.

Hazlewood suggested the pressure is on Kookaburra to improve its flagship product.

"They keep developing the pink ball and improving that," he told reporters on Friday.

"It's come a long way in a couple of years but I think they still need to focus on the red ball, we play the majority of our cricket with that.

"The Australian pitches are quite brutal on the ball and keeping that ball nice and hard (is important).

"They're doing a few things now and working on a harder bit around the seam."

"I've talked to a few of the guys and they seem to enjoy it," he said.

"It brings you into the game for a bit longer. The Kooka stops swinging and you're relying on reverse-swing and up and down."

Starc will return in the UAE, where Australia's first Test against Pakistan begins on October 7, while Hazlewood will make his comeback in the domestic one-day competition that starts later this month.

"If they were one-dayers I'd back myself in but it's just that extra workload," Hazlewood said.

"You don't want to push really hard for a tour and miss the rest of summer. There's a lot of cricket coming up, not just this summer but obviously (a World Cup and Ashes) following that."

(Inputs from Cricket Australia)

 
 

By Anshuman Roy - 08 Sep, 2018

    Share Via