‘Just to see the other names…’: Hazlewood on reaching 300 Test wickets

Josh Hazlewood, the Australian pacer, achieved a significant milestone in his Test career with his six-wicket haul against Bangladesh. On the third day of the first Test at Darwin, Hazlewood became the ninth Australian bowler to reach 300 Test wickets. The 35-year-old achieved this feat by dismissing Mehidy Hasan, marking his fifth wicket in the Bangladesh's first innings. Hazlewood's career average of 24.04 ranks behind Glenn McGrath, Pat Cummins, and Dennis Lillee among Australian bowlers.

In a chat with Kayo Sports, Hazlewood reflected on the importance of the milestone, stating that it's something he typically contemplates after the game. However, being in the company of three Australian greats, he found it quite impressive. Hazlewood, who made his Test debut against India in 2014, had a remarkable start to his career, amassing 51 and 42 wickets in Tests in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Over the past decade, he has added 199 more Test wickets to his tally.

Despite playing in only six of Australia's last 14 Test matches and none in the past 12 months due to injury recovery, Hazlewood's return to form was evident on Saturday. His six-wicket performance was also his first five-wicket haul in nine years. In Bangladesh's first innings, the team scored 426 runs, extending their lead by 228 runs.

Hazlewood acknowledged the resilience of the Bangladesh batters, noting that they "hung in there tough" throughout the match. He added that the team's persistence made it challenging to take wickets, but expressed satisfaction with their efforts.