Josh Hazlewood skips India T20Is to set up Ashes

AustraliaFast bowling spearhead Josh Hazlewood Make a bold decision ahead of the busy cricket calendar. Josh Hazlewood has decided to skip a few T20Is in the next five overs series against India to focus on red-ball preparations for the all-important 2025-2026 Ashes match at home.

Hazlewood was named in Australia’s squad for the three ODIs and the first two T20Is against India. After completing his national duty, the star will return to his home team, New South Wales, for valuable training for the Sheffield Shield red-ball match.

Josh Hazlewood has picked Sheffield Shield matches over India T20Is for his Ashes preparations

The New South Wales side is scheduled to face Victoria in a crucial Sheffield Shield match starting on November 10 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which will serve as Hazelwood’s warm-up ahead of their 2025-26 Ashes opener against England on November 21 at Optus Stadium in Perth.

Read also: Vaibhav Suryavanshi to be linked with the top Indian team!! Ajit Agarkar issued a stern ultimatum

Hazlewood will miss the last three T20Is against India, with the second T20I scheduled at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 31, before switching gears to red-ball cricket. So, he will have enough time to take a rest as well as get some red-ball training under his belt before the Ashes.

You can’t have it all: Josh Hazlewood

“We’ve certainly had conversations about fit in the Shield game,” Josh Hazlewood said in Cricket Australia’s sponsorship announcement with Woolworths. “I think it’s important when there’s time for it. You don’t want to pressure things or rush things.”

This year I will miss two T20s to do that. Which I definitely don’t like to do, which is to miss Australia’s matches. But in the long run it’s about getting the best preparation for the Ashes too. You can’t have it all, and that’s the trade-off right now.

Josh Hazlewood’s smart relocation plan

Well, the Australian is determined to stay in touch with the white-ball game ahead of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, but believes a proper transition to the red ball is crucial for the Ashes series against England at home. He also doesn’t worry about his workload.

Read also: Not Shubman Gill! The IPL-winning captain replaces Suryakumar Yadav as India’s T20I captain

Hazlewood further explained, “That’s why I put my hand in as many tours as I can. Even if I only play two out of three on tour, it means I’m still connecting with those formats. My game doesn’t change that much. I’ve been around long enough to step aside and dive into each format and chop and change.”

Over 1.75 lakh tickets were sold for the India-Australia series

Notably, tickets for the Australia-India T20I tournament at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 31 sold out more than three weeks ago. Cricket Australia has confirmed more than 175,000 tickets have been sold across the eight-match white-ball series, with public allocations for Sydney and Manuka Oval already exhausted.

Adelaide’s ODI and Gabba T20I tickets are almost sold out, with less than 5,000 tickets left for each. The Melbourne clash joins the season’s sold-out events alongside 12 Ashes matches. AFL members’ tickets for the MCG game went on sale on Monday, with MCC members’ tickets available on Tuesday.