NEW DELHI: With cricket turning into a nonstop, year long commitment, juggling all formats has become a challenge for many players. Yet experienced Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood believes it is still manageable, provided there is careful planning and smart scheduling.

Hazlewood, one of Australia’s most reliable fast bowlers across formats, recently skipped the final three T20Is against England to play a Sheffield Shield match for New South Wales against Victoria. It was part of his preparation ahead of the Ashes and a move that underlined his approach to managing workload.

The 34 year old said the key is to select games wisely to stay balanced through a busy season.

“I think it’s (playing all formats) possible to a degree. I think Australian cricket is getting a lot better. In a five match series, playing Games 1, 3 and 5, or 1, 2 and 3 and then heading home for a few weeks just to refresh or missing the odd one game or something like that…” Hazlewood told the Royal Challengers Bengaluru podcast.

“…just get home for a week and maximise that time and refresh and come back to the group. So, I think not resting the whole series but picking and choosing your moments, I think that’s the biggest (team) meeting we have, go through the calendar, see exactly what we want to play,” he added.

Hazlewood will again be central to Australia’s plans in the Ashes alongside Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, though both he and Cummins will miss the Perth Test due to injuries.

Experienced voices back the balancing act

The pacer also said Australia has a clear system in place that gives players freedom to manage their schedule.

“Obviously, all the Test matches are given… yeah, we can play two out of those three, or three out of the five or whatever it is, I mean often if there is a Test match round the corner, you have to build up anyway. So, I think it’s possible (to play all formats) to a degree,” he said.

Australia’s T20 specialist Tim David echoed Hazlewood’s thoughts, saying that seasoned pacers understand their bodies well enough to adapt across formats.

“We are so lucky in Australian cricket that because these guys are fast bowlers, they are going for all the formats… they are so experienced, so they know what works for their bodies,” said David, who will turn out for RCB in the upcoming IPL season.

“They know what they’re capable of doing, they don’t have to have excessive prep to lead into a match, so for those guys to plan ahead that takes a lot of experience,” added David, who has featured in 68 T20Is.

He also pointed out that younger players often struggle with the same flexibility because planning and awareness come only with time.

“You can’t just do that when you are young, you don’t really know how things work. So, that helps massively with those (experienced) guys in planning. I think the track record of results (of bowlers like Hazlewood) shows that they’re allowed to make their decisions, so…”

(With PTI Inputs)