IPL 2025: Hazlewood thrives on monotony to deliver the goods
Change of pace and yorkers have been wonderful additions to the ploy of length bowling that snatched victory from Royals in the death overs
Kolkata: As far as turnarounds go, conceding seven runs in the last two overs of a T20 humdinger from 26 in the first two is pretty dramatic. Not quite so if the bowler is Josh Hazlewood. Here is how Hazlewood’s season has looked: He is joint highest (alongside Prasidh Krishna) wicket-taker with 16 scalps, averages 17.18 runs per wicket and strikes every 12.31 balls — the best among all overseas bowlers in this IPL.
His performance in 2022 bears striking similarities, only this time the strike rate and average has improved significantly. And yet, Hazlewood remains largely low-key that in no way should be mistaken for the absence of a protagonist energy in a franchise teeming with stars.
Thursday was another reminder of that. Just when it seemed that fortune was finally starting to favour Dhruv Jurel, Hazlewood returned with a plan. The first ball was wide because Hazlewood tried to follow Jurel. But next ball, he rushed Jurel into a pull before rolling his fingers over the off-cutter. Another slow off-cutter, this time shorter, and Jurel had to almost reach for it but Virat Kohli restricted it to a single.
That brought in Shimron Hetmyer who likes a bit of width and so Hazlewood denied him that with a back of the length delivery on middle, engineering an easy catch for wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma. The boundary to Shubham Dubey probably softened the blows landed earlier but at a time when Rajasthan Royals were seeking a cluster of boundaries, this felt like a victory already.
To give away just one run in his final over was match altering but the penultimate over was also exactly the kind of buildup Hazlewood would have wanted. Which is why RCB head coach Andy Flower insisted on talking about both those overs after RCB won.
“I would probably refer to both of his last overs because his two overs went for seven, and he took three wickets in them. So, I think both those overs showed the class of the guy. He’s a class operator, a world-class bowler, great under pressure in any format of the game, thinks clearly, and has great skill,” Flower said.
Hazlewood can be boring to watch, mainly because of that back of the length he keeps pegging away all day, in Tests, one-dayers and T20s. But that’s what makes him so irritatingly difficult to score off, and hence so invaluable in this format. Of immeasurable impact also are the variation of lengths he bowls and the change in pace he so masterfully disguises.
“I know he’s known for his heavy-length bowling, but he’s got some great all-round skills,” said Flower. “He mixes in those yorkers, wide yorkers, slower balls, and he seems to know what type of ball to bowl at the right time. It’s great having a guy like him in our side, part of a very strong three-pronged (pace) attack.”
Overseas pacers often take the entire IPL season to figure out Indian conditions but Hazlewood has the advantage of international experience in India and the edge of never taking it for granted. That, and the will to always learn on the go has allowed Hazlewood to always stay ahead of the curve. This is something he had pointed out last month at Eden Gardens, after taking 2/22 against KKR.
“In our bowlers’ meetings, there’s typically someone in the room who has played a lot of cricket at those grounds. So (they) stand up in those moments and talk about their experiences on that ground and what works well for them. So, it’s very much a discussion among the bowling group with the coaches, with specific planning for the grounds,” he said.
To curate all that, process it internally and produce significant spells day after day isn’t easy. And Hazlewood makes it look nothing less. He isn’t the instigating type in T20s, largely keeping to himself while indulging in the high art of bowling lengths, so much so that even Jofra Archer can be made to look clueless to a delivery that was neither a bouncer nor in good length territory.
The lines have never deviated much from the fourth stump. The changes in pace haven’t been overdone as well. Just the hint of swing, nothing too exaggerated, all within defined limits, that’s how Hazlewood keeps knocking them over.
