Fit-again Hazlewood set for return ahead of WTC pace dilemma

Josh Hazlewood will take a major step in his bid to reclaim his spot in the Test side for the World Test Championship final when he returns to action in this weekend's Indian Premier League playoffs.

While much of the selection debate for the Test decider next month has centred on the batting line-up and the vacant opening position with Travis Head's return to the middle order, a crucial call also looms for the final spot in Australia's bowling attack.

That looks likely to be a choice between the fit-again Hazlewood or Scott Boland, and coach Andrew McDonald confirmed as much during a radio interview on Tuesday, with captain Pat Cummins and strike weapon Mitchell Starc almost certainties to face off against South Africa at Lord's from June 11.

Cummins is seeking to become the first skipper to lead his side to back-to-back WTC triumphs, with left-armer Starc the third most prolific bowler in this two-year cycle with 72 wickets, behind Indian ace Jasprit Bumrah (77) and the Australian captain (73).

McDonald said Nathan Lyon was also a lock for the Test showpiece, with it always unlikely selectors would gamble on not picking a specialist spinner given the last time they did – when Todd Murphy, standing in for an injured Lyon, was omitted for allrounder Cameron Green – England amassed 592 in the drawn Ashes Test at Old Trafford in 2023.

And prior to going down with a calf injury at Lord's during the series, Lyon played 100 consecutive Test matches dating back to the 2013 Ashes.

Regardless of who gets the nod at Lord's next month, an unenviable decision awaits the George Bailey-led selection panel including McDonald and Tony Dodemaide, with the coach insisting both Hazlewood and Boland were "great options" and worthy of their place in the team.

"It's a great four (fast bowlers) to have on the selection table," he told SEN radio.

"We see them coexisting as a unit and the more they can give each other a bit of reprieve from the rigors of Test cricket and be performing, it makes our team all the better.

"We've got four Test matches within that period and our bowlers aren't getting any younger, so the ability for those four to really coexist and manage the workload across the WTC and the West Indies (is crucial)."

Hazlewood returned to India on Saturday to take part in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's finals campaign after being sidelined with a shoulder niggle prior to the IPL's mid-season suspension.

The 34-year-old was one of the tournament's form bowlers before his injury with 18 wickets at 17 and remains RCB's leading bowler for the season despite missing their final four matches of the home-and-away campaign.

The right-armer missed the last WTC final against India due to injury and McDonald revealed it "wasn't looking great" in the initial period following his shoulder complaint.

Hazlewood also missed Tests against India and Sri Lanka last summer due to calf and side injuries and one of the considerations for selectors ahead of the playoff against the Proteas will be if he can get through a Test match on the back of a T20 lead in.

"It always causes you unease when there's a T20 tournament right up to the start of the WTC, but that's the nature of where that fixture is put in the calendar and we were able to navigate through that last time," McDonald said.

"We were always keen to get (Hazlewood) back over there too, we feel as though playing any sort of cricket and the intensity you get from that is beneficial.

"He had a good hit out last week on Tuesday and Thursday, his intensity was really good."

In Hazlewood's favour of a recall is his superior record to Boland in England, as well as his previous success at Lord's where he is Australia's most prolific fast bowler since Glenn McGrath.

His three second-innings wickets were instrumental in Australia taking a 2-0 lead in the 2023 Ashes during their most recent Test at the Home of Cricket, removing top scorers Ben Duckett and Ben Stokes as he was threatening to repeat his Headingley heroics from four years earlier.

Boland has never played at Lord's and averages over 20 runs more for his seven wickets in three Tests on English soil (48.00) compared to Hazlewood's 52 scalps at 26.07 in his 12 matches in the UK.

However, the Victorian was one of the stars of Australia's WTC triumph over India at The Oval two years ago with five wickets for the match, including the crucial breakthroughs of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane on the final day.

He also finished the home summer in career-best form with a 10-wicket Test (4-31 and 6-45) to help clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney before another 10-wicket haul followed in his next Sheffield Shield match against NSW.

Boland joined Hazlewood and Starc for last week's training camp in Brisbane to ramp up his preparation for the winter tours having not played since Victoria's round nine Shield clash in early March when he claimed seven wickets against eventual champions South Australia.

"We'll pick our best team for the opponent and conditions," McDonald said.

"There's some county form lines, there's some IPL form lines, there's people that are in training camps, we've got to bring all that together and make the key decisions when we need to.

"And historically, we make those decisions three to four days out (from the match) and that'll be no different."