Speaking at a Play Cricket Week event, Hazlewood singled out Joe Root and Harry Brook, currently ranked first and second in the ICC men’s Test batting rankings, as major threats.
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As the countdown begins to the 2025 Ashes in Australia, pacer Josh Hazlewood is relishing the prospect of taking on what he believes is the strongest England batting lineup to tour Down Under in recent memory.
Speaking at a Play Cricket Week event, Hazlewood singled out Joe Root and Harry Brook, currently ranked first and second in the ICC men’s Test batting rankings, as major threats.
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“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 of England’s recent batting conditions.
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On Brook, he added: “I think (Harry 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.
“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.”
Hazlewood also reflected on Root, who is yet to score a Test century in Australia despite a prolific career.
“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.
“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.”
Root has played 14 Tests in Australia since his debut tour in 2013, scoring 892 runs at an average of 35.68. His form in recent years has been exceptional, surpassing former Aussie skipper and batting legend Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-getter in men’s Test history and becoming the first batter to cross 6000 runs in the ICC World Test Championship.
With England chasing their first Ashes series win since 2015, much will depend on Root’s form. The five-match series begins on November 21 in Perth.
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