Josh Hazlewood keen to share Test attack with Scott Boland, than compete for playing XI spot

Australia's paceman Josh Hazlewood is keen to share the bowling attack with Scott Boland in the upcoming Test matches rather than compete with him for a spot in the playing XI. Hazlewood is making a return to Test cricket after missing the entire home Ashes last summer with calf and hamstring injuries. 

His injury coincided with Pat Cummins' recovery from a lumbar stress fracture and the latter could only play a solitary Test in the Ashes. Their absence meant extended opportunities for Boland, Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser, and the trio impressed with their returns alongside Mitchell Starc, who spearheaded the four-pronged attack. 

Boland was the second-highest wicket-taker for Australia and third overall in the series behind Starc (31) and Brydon Carse (22). He claimed 20 wickets in five Tests, averaging 24.95, including a four-wicket haul as England failed in their strategy to put him off his length by means of aggression.

Notably, Hazlewood's last Test came against West Indies in Jamaica in July 2025, where the team management went in with a five-pronged pace attack: Hazlewood, Boland, Starc, Cummins and allrounder Beau Webster.

With Nathan Lyon around, the chances of playing Hazlewood and Boland together are pretty slim. But Hazlewood believes that with the team slated to play 20 Tests in the next 12 months, there will be several opportunities for him to bowl in tandem with Boland.

"I'd love to play more with Scotty," Hazlewood said during a training camp in Brisbane on Thursday. "We're obviously a little bit similar, but I think there's still a lot of differences in our bowling. Every time he's come in, he's done unbelievably well. His career just keeps getting better and better the older he gets.

"I think there's enough opportunities in the next 12 months, 18 months for us to play a lot of cricket hopefully together, that'd be a nice one to tick off. But I think as four quicks, we've got Ness [Michael Neser] and Doggy [Brendan Doggett] there as well. So I think we'll have to lean on all six at some point in the next sort of 18 months."