IPL 2021: Chennai Super Kings to miss services of Josh Hazlewood
Chennai Super Kings is a three-time champion of the Indian Premier League, led by MS Dhoni to date. Josh Hazlewood is a renowned pace bowler from Australia, having been playing for CSK since 2020, having played just three games and claiming a wicket.
FollowIndian Premier League giant Chennai Super Kings has suffered a setback ahead of the 2021 season. The franchise would miss the services of prolific Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood.
Reason
As for a reason for his pullout, Hazlewood is prioritising international cricket over the domestic competition, as he wishes to stay fit for Australia's upcoming packed international calendar. After Josh Philippe (Royal Challengers Bangalore) and Mitchell Marsh (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Hazlewood has become the third Aussie to pull out of the lucrative tournament this season.
Statement
"It's been a long ten months in bubbles and quarantine at different times, so I decided to have a rest from cricket and spend some time at home and in Australia in the next two months. We've got a big winter ahead too. The West Indies is going to be a long tour, with Bangladesh potentially thrown on the end of that," he was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
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"Then, potentially, the T20 World Cup, leading into the Ashes, so it's a big 12 months, as it always is with Australia, and I want to give myself the best chance to be mentally and physically ready for that. That's the decision I've made, and it sits pretty well with me," he added.
Hazlewood's career
However, it must be noted that Hazlewood was not exactly CSK's prime pacer. He managed to play just three games last season and claimed a wicket at an economy of 6.40. As for his Twenty20 International career, he hasn't been impressive either, claiming nine from nine at 9.19, while his chances of making it to Australia's squad for ICC World T20 2021 look slim.
CSK squad for IPL 2021
Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, N. Jagadeesan (wk), Robin Uthappa, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, R Sai Kishore, Mitchell Santner, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi, KM Asif, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara, M Harisankar Reddy, K. Bhagath Varma and C Hari Nishanth
