Josh Hazlewood wary of Joe Root, Harry Brook threat in Ashes build-up

SYDNEY: Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood is preparing for what he believes will be the strongest England batting line-up to tour Australia during his career, highlighting Joe Root and Harry Brook as major threats ahead of the Ashes in November.

Hazlewood, who played four Tests during the 2023 Ashes, is keen to feature in a Sheffield Shield match before the series to fine-tune his red-ball rhythm.

The 33-year-old recently played five of six white-ball games against South Africa but has avoided extended downtime to maintain match intensity.

"It felt like over the last 12 months, the best way for me to go about it is just keep on ticking over, keep playing, not having too long off bowling," Hazlewood said. 

"I find…getting back to that intensity and volume is quite tough for me. So if I can just keep staying up there, match intensity as long as I can, then that's sort of the best way for me to go about it," he added.

The 34-year-old singled out Root and Brook as England’s key men. Root, currently in excellent form but still chasing his first century in Australia, averages 35.68 from 14 Tests in the country. 

Brook, meanwhile, will make his maiden Ashes tour Down Under after climbing to No. 2 in the ICC Test batting rankings.

"England has obviously been quite flat wickets recently, the last few years, and it's been a really dry summer as well, so they are probably starting to get tired and spin now," Hazlewood said. 

"I think [Brook] will adapt. He's a good player. He's at the top of the rankings for a reason, and he'll be a tough challenge.

"When [Root] first came out, it was a little bit of a different attack. It was probably [Mitchell] Johnson and [Ryan] Harris and [Peter] Siddle. Gaz [Nathan Lyon] has been around a long time now, so he was probably there, but we sort of just jumped on the back of that.

"I think a fresh face like Harry Brook might find it easier. There's no baggage behind him and he can just come out and play with freedom as he does. Joe's probably in the form of his life as well. So they're an unbelievable batting line, to be honest. The top seven have done really well...so it's a challenge."

Australia’s Ashes preparations will follow a three-match T20I series against New Zealand in October and white-ball games against India. 

Hazlewood’s Shield return may depend on scheduling, with New South Wales due to face Victoria at the SCG from November 10, just days before the Perth Test.

Last summer, Hazlewood managed one Shield appearance before the India series and, despite going wicketless, impressed early in the Perth Test before injury struck. 

This year, however, he has built up more consistent workloads, playing all four Tests against South Africa and West Indies.