IPL 2023: ‘It was a stepping stone,’ Hazlewood on return from injury ahead of WTC final

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, who is returning from an injury, has said playing his first game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is like a “stepping stone.”

RCB’s clash with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Monday was Hazlewood’s first appearance in competitive cricket since January. During the Sydney Test against South Africa, the Aussie pacer suffered an Achilles injury that saw him miss the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India.

After RCB opted to bat at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, they started their innings well as Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis put up 62 runs for the opening wickets. However, from there on, the visiting side suffered a collapse as they managed to put up just 126 runs on the board in 20 overs.

However, RCB bowlers, including Hazlewood, stepped up when needed the most as they bowled out Lucknow for 108 runs in 19.5 overs. The Australian fast bowled three overs, with figures of 2 for 15. It was great news for his national team, especially, keeping in mind the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final against India and The Ashes.

"The body is feeling pretty good, and it was nice to have a hit out in the middle tonight. It is just so different playing in a game as compared to training. Achilles is feeling pretty good. I bowled three overs and fielded for 20, and tonight was a stepping stone," Hazlewood said at the post-match conference.

RCB made four breakthroughs in the powerplay overs as LSG were struggling at 27 for 4 in 5.1 overs. Speaking about RCB’s bowling, Hazlewood said Mohammed Siraj’s first over set the tone for them in the second innings against LSG.

"It started in Siraj's first over. I think a wicket and one run offered so it was a great start, and we sort of jumped on the back of that. At half-time, we knew we were still in the game because it was a tough wicket to bat on. The new ball was crucial, and we knew we had to attack and take early wickets.

"We knew that we had to bowl them out to win the game. If they had seven-eight batters bat the 20 overs, they would get 120 runs. It was all about attacking and taking wickets," added Hazlewood in the same conference.

From having a high-scoring venue at the Chinnaswamy to playing at a sluggish surface in Lucknow, Hazlewood believes it is good to have at least one pitch assisting the bowlers.

"It was a good change-up as we have played a lot of cricket at Chinnaswammy, which has been a batting paradise. I think it's good to have occasionally one for the bowlers in a low-scoring affair. It was a tight and exciting match, and one team was really never out of it.

"Lucknow will play a number of games at this venue, and I feel they will adapt well and play better in the future," the Aussie said.

With two crucial points secured on Monday, RCB are currently placed fifth in the IPL 2023 table with 10 points from nine games, the same as Rajasthan Royals (RR) in second place, LSG in third place, and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in fourth place. RCB are below the said teams because of their lower net run-rate, which is currently in minus.

Du Plessis and Co will next take on Delhi Capitals (DC) on Saturday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.