Australian ace pacer Josh Hazlewood, who has talked about his new moniker from Indian fans following his role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) first IPL trophy, will be one of the prominent talents to keep an eye on. The renowned Lord’s Cricket Ground will host the World Test Championship (WTC) Final in a few days, and the Australian team has already begun preparing for the match versus South Africa.
With 22 wickets at an average of just 17.54 in the 12 games he played, the 34-year-old speedster was the franchise’s top wicket-taker and tied for third place overall. As a result, the two-time World Cup champion became known to the RCB supporters as “HazleGod.” Hazlewood does not believe the moniker will become popular in Australia, despite the fact that he considers it charming.
Yes, I do hope that it runs out of steam shortly. “Obviously, it’s flattering to hear it around the grounds in India, but I don’t think it’ll take off in Australia,” Hazlewood stated in a video that was uploaded to the ICC’s official Instagram account.
Reactions from Australian teammates to Hazlewood’s moniker
Australian cricket players Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc also responded to Hazlewood’s new moniker. Starc acknowledged his excitement to watch Hazlewood play at Lord’s and lauded his IPL heroics, even as he laughed off the name and said he hoped it stuck. The renowned spinner from Australia, however, acknowledged that the moniker caught him off guard.
I don’t believe he’s too fond of it, so hopefully it sticks. The big fella has returned home with a tonne of money after an amazing few months in India. Thus, in the same video, Starc stated, “I am excited to watch him in action here at Lord’s.”
He really called himself that the other day, which completely caught me off guard. I think he’s sprinting with it after winning the IPL,” Lyon, the WTC 2021–2023 champion, remarked.