Josh Hazlewood has revealed that Australia coach Andrew McDonald did not ask him about being rested during the 2023 Ashes. He was told.
“I did it once in Ashes in 23 actually. I missed the middle test, so I felt pretty good. But that was the plan leading in. Ronnie came to me and he didn’t really ask me, just told me. So I think that was the best way to go about it.”
Josh Hazlewood, YouTube interview, 2026
Hazlewood played the first two Tests of the 2023 Ashes at Edgbaston and Lord’s, taking eight wickets. It was the first time he had played consecutive Tests since 2020-21 after a series of side, calf, and Achilles injuries. With just three days between Lord’s and the third Test at Headingley, Australia’s management decided to rest him. Scott Boland came in. England won by three wickets. Hazlewood returned for the fourth Test at Old Trafford and played the rest of the series, finishing with 16 wickets in four matches as Australia retained the Ashes.
Why McDonald Told Hazlewood Instead of Asking
At the time, captain Pat Cummins described Hazlewood as being in “uncharted territory” after consecutive Tests. The public framing was about workload. What Hazlewood’s account now adds is how the message was delivered behind closed doors.
McDonald did not open a discussion. He made the call and communicated it directly. This is consistent with how he has spoken about managing Australia’s aging pace trio of Hazlewood, Cummins, and Mitchell Starc in recent years.
“There is almost a misconception that the players are sort of picking and choosing as to where they play and which series they play in. These decisions are made around the management of what is coming up in the schedule, and they don’t choose that.”
Andrew McDonald, ESPNcricinfo, 2026
McDonald has been clear that workload decisions are made by the coaching staff, not negotiated with players. The trio are being managed with the 2027 World Cup as the endpoint. By then, Starc will be 37, Hazlewood 36, and Cummins 34.
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Hazlewood said being told was the best way to go about it. That is not politeness. When a coach asks a fast bowler if he wants to rest mid-Ashes, the answer is always no. No bowler wants to be the one who sat out. But when the coach tells you, the decision is no longer yours to carry. You switch off, recover fully, and come back without guilt. McDonald understood that asking would have put the burden on Hazlewood. Telling him removed it.
Hazlewood, now 35, has not played a Test since July 2025 after missing the entire 2025-26 Ashes with hamstring and Achilles injuries. He is preparing for Australia’s Tests against Bangladesh in Darwin. He has spoken about wanting to play alongside Boland rather than competing with him for one spot, acknowledging Australia has 20 to 21 Tests ahead with an aging bowling group.
The 2023 resting worked. Hazlewood came back fresh, took wickets, and Australia retained the urn. Three years later, he is still pointing to that moment as proof that McDonald’s direct approach was right.
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