Don’t know why Josh Hazlewood is over playing IPL and not preparing for Test matches in Australia: Michael Clarke

Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood made his triumphant return to the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The 32-year-old missed the initial stages of the tournament due to an injury, and with his return to the cash-rich league, his brilliant spells with the ball returned as well.

In his first game of the IPL 2023, Hazlewood went up against the KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants in the 43rd game of the tournament. He bowled three overs against Lucknow and conceded just 15 runs in the process, dismissing Ayush Badoni and Naveen-ul-Haq in the game.

However, seeing his return to the IPL, former Australian skipper Michael Clarke came to the front and questioned the pacer’s decision to play in the T20 carnival instead of preparing for the upcoming World Test Championship final and the Ashes series.

"I don’t know why he’s overplaying IPL. I don’t know why he’s not over here in Australia preparing to play Test match cricket. I know they’ll have people over there, in the nets, he’ll be bowling more than what the IPL players are bowling, in preparation for Test match cricket," Michael Clarke was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.

You want to see him at his best for this Ashes series: Clarke

Continuing upon the same, Clarke stated that bowling three to four overs at the IPL might not be the best preparation for red-ball cricket for Hazlewood, especially considering the number of injuries that the pacer has had recently. It is to be noted that the 32-year-old is also one of the five pacers that Australia named in their 17-man squad that will be traveling to England for the WTC final and the Ashes series.

"I just don’t know if him bowling three overs, four overs right now is his best preparation for an Ashes series, after the injuries he’s had and the amount of time he’s had out of Test cricket. It’s great to see him back playing; there’s no doubt about it, but for Australian Test cricket fans, you want to see him at his best for this Ashes series," Clarke concluded.