For almost a decade, Australia's pace trio of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, & Mitchell Starc have formed the core of the attack, giving opposition numerous headaches and nightmares by their skillful bowling. With all three now in their mid-30s, there are swirling rumors about the upcoming Winter Ashes 2025 being the iconic trio's last in whites. However, Hazelwood has quickly shut those talks, insisting the trio still has a lot of gas left beyond the Ashes series.
Speaking at the launch of the National Team's new ASICS kit for the epic series against rivals England, Hazlewood brushed aside the idea of retirement. The pacer told SEN radio that none of the pacers are in a hurry to call it quits on their careers, stressing the desire to continue achieving success for Australia.
“I don’t think we’re in a position right now to say anything,” Hazlewood explained. “You might sit back at the end of it all and have a think about things, but at the moment everyone still loves the format of Test cricket.”
He added, “There are plenty of Tests coming up in the next couple of years. With another World Test Championship cycle ahead, there’s still so much to look forward to beyond just the Ashes. I think we’ve still got a few more games left in us yet.”
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Hazlewood, Starc & Cummins ready to hunt in a pack
Notably, Hazlewood's comments have arrived in the wake of skipper Cummins recovering from lumber stress injury, and Starc having chosen to quit from T20Is in order to prolong Test and ODI careers. Hazlewood is not new to battling serious injuries and continues to play a pivotal role for Australia across formats. The veteran pacer always evolves himself, and continues to be a threat in all three formats.
Along with Starc and Cummins, the pacer will yet again play a pivotal role in the upcoming Ashes series. Currently, Ashes is with Australia, owing to a 2-2 series draw in England. Also, in Down Under, the Ben Stokes-led side is yet to beat Australia in over a decade. While there are rumors about the pace trio's retirement, Hazlewood's bold statement underlines a key message - the trio are not done just yet.
