Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood is prepared for a difficult task of adjusting to quarantine rules and cramp schedule, as long as he is allowed to train in the weeks leading upto to the Test series against India that headlines the next summer.
As per the travelling regulations in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, each individual arriving or returning to Australia will have to go into a two-week isolation period after testing negative of Coronavirus.
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The national selectors recently named a 26-man touring party for the limited-overs tour to the UK in September, around when the new window for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) could start. The IPL 2020 is reportedly set to replace the more logistically impractical T20 World Cup, scheduled from October 18 till November 15.
For Hazlewood, contracted with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), this would mean another period of quarantine on return from IPL and limited practise, specific skill-based training before the face-off for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India, starting December 3.
"As long as we can train during that period it will be okay, it's if we come back and we can't train during that two-week period," the pacer was quoted as saying in the Sydney Today. "We've built these loads up as fast bowlers then two weeks really hurts us coming into a summer of Test cricket."
"As far as red-ball ball cricket goes I feel I only need one, maximum two games, to get ready for a Test. There have been summers where we've come from a white-ball tour and only played one [red-ball game] and it's been fine. Everyone is a bit different, some guys need a bit more bowling and some less but we'll try to get that balance right."
Hazlewood informed that Cricket Australia (CA) has been in regular touch with all players on plans around the schedule in this period, where they've been prudently taking it step by step and not leaving anything to fate with regards to their fitness.
"We've been (training) for five or six weeks," said the 29-year-old. "I kept the fitness up through the COVID lockdown period, which was mostly through boredom."
"Bowling is going really well, back to probably 85-90 per cent and a few of the guys are a bit further along. (The enforced break has) been good for most of the boys, especially the bowlers to come in with a clean slate."
"We've been having fortnightly updates (from Cricket Australia), and now that the 26-man squad has been picked, we'll have another chat this week. Things change from week to week, a few eyes are on how the West Indies are going and everything in that series seems to be going pretty well."
"We'll take a lot from that, just keep moving forward and CA are keeping us informed as much as possible. The next two weeks, with our (England) tour being five or six weeks away, a few restrictions will come in, just common-sense stuff," Hazlewood added.
(Inputs from cricket.com.au)
