Hazlewood hopes England scarred in tune-up

Australia paceman Josh Hazlewood says Nathan Coulter-Nile will ensure England's opening tour game will be no walk in the park.

Josh Hazlewood

Australia's Josh Hazlewood says he hopes England suffer some damage in their opening tour match. (AAP)

Josh Hazlewood hopes England are scarred by their first Ashes tune-up, backing Nathan Coulter-Nile to strike some early blows against the tourists' inexperienced batsmen.

Joe Root's side have their first hit of the tour in a two-day game that starts on Saturday, with express paceman Coulter-Nile a surprise inclusion among the local XI in Perth.

Coulter-Nile's preference was to play the star-studded Sheffield Shield clash between Western Australia and NSW in Sydney, where Hazlewood will mark his first-class return from a side strain.

In recent years, touring teams have rarely had a chance to face such a skilled fast bowler in a warm-up match.

Hazlewood hopes the change works in Australia's favour, suggesting his fired-up pace colleague could do some early damage ahead of the five-Test series that starts on November 23.

"I probably see it more as a positive," he said at the SCG on Thursday.

"Maybe he can crack open a few guys early and create a few scars I guess in their top order and middle order.

"It will be their first real hit-out in Australia ... that's obviously their plan, to jump straight into it on the the bounciest and quickest wicket.

"To have a guy like Coults there to warm them up and maybe create a few scars would be nice."

Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins have previously forecast a bouncer barrage, making it clear they want to expose England's inexperience in the Ashes.

Mark Stoneman, Dawid Malan and James Vince could potentially feature in the visitors' top six for the first Test. The trio have played a combined 15 Tests, all at home.

Hazlewood noted Starc and Cummins are both capable of sparking collapses and striking fear into the opposition.

"That's why I always bowl when they're bowling in the nets, I don't have to face them," he quipped.

"On that Gabba wicket, you always want to use it to its advantage.

"They're not going to be scared of me or Nathan (Lyon), but the other two bowlers put fear into the batsmen. That's part of their game, bowling fast and bowling short on occasions.

"They can take three or four really quick ones and really crack the game wide open."

Hazlewood, Starc and Cummins have played plenty of white-ball cricket together but are yet to feature in the same Test XI.

"We don't really talk about it too much. I guess because it hasn't happened," Hazlewood said.

"It's great to get both of them together and we've got a pretty good record when we're all together."


Share

3 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world