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Don't break Hazlewood: Aussie captain

Australian captain Steve Smith says he's wary of placing too much of a fast bowling burden on Josh Hazlewood.

Australian bowler Josh Hazlewood
Australian captain Steve Smith is wary of breaking his new spearhead Josh Hazlewood (pic). (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Wary of breaking his new spearhead Josh Hazlewood, Australian captain Steve Smith has flagged summoning a batch of fast bowlers to share the load.

With Mitchell Johnson retired and Mitchell Starc sidelined indefinitely by stress fractures in his right foot, Hazlewood - in the space of a fortnight - has become the leader of Australia's pace attack.

The 24-year-old responded superbly in Australia's three-wicket win against New Zealand in Adelaide, taking his best Test match bowling figures of 9-136, including six second-innings wickets.

Hazlewood's man-of-the-match performance came after pre-Test suggestions he could be rested because of recent heavy workloads.

"Obviously it was tough to lose somebody of the calibre of Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc has been bowling exceptionally well," Australian captain Steve Smith told reporters post-match.

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"It was nice to see Joshy Hazlewood step up and really bowl well in this game. It will give him a lot of confidence going forward.

"But he has had a big workload over the last little bit as well, so we're going to have to have a look at that, we probably don't want to break him.

"We have got a lot of cricket to play coming up in the next couple of months so there might a little bit of a mixed load between a couple of players."

Australia coach Darren Lehhmann said Victorian quick James Pattinson will be summoned into the squad for the first Test against the West Indies starting in Hobart on December 10.

"We lose Starc, so pretty sure James will come back in," Lehmann told ABC radio on Sunday.

"It (Starc) is a big loss for us.

"But you look at the other side of the coin, he gets to freshen up a bit, get the injury right, get the body right and have a big impact in winter and the next summer.

"It gives a young guy an opportunity to play and that is going to be important for their development as well."

Other pace candidates include Nathan Coulter-Nile, who was suspended for the current Sheffield Shield round, and Jackson Bird, who played the last of his three Tests in England in August 2013.


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