Australian cricketers Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon discussed Hazlewood’s nickname “Hazel God” given by Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans ahead of the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s on June 11.Hazlewood responded to his new nickname saying, “Yeah, hopefully it runs out of steam pretty quickly.”Starc shared his thoughts on the nickname stating, “Hopefully it sticks, because I don’t think he likes it too much. He’s had a fantastic few months, the big fella over in India, and he’s come home with bags of cash. So I look forward to seeing him in action here at the Lords.”Lyon revealed a surprising development about the nickname saying, “Hazel God, he actually referred to himself as it the other day, which totally took me back by surprise. Off the back of him winning the IPL, I think he’s running with it.”
Hazlewood has arrived in the UK following an impressive IPL campaign with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he claimed 22 wickets and played a vital role in their championship victory.He has begun his preparation for red-ball cricket, bowling approximately five overs at moderate intensity during Australia’s optional training session in Beckenham on Saturday.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?If Hazlewood’s preparation goes well, he is likely to be selected ahead of Scott Boland in the starting XI for the WTC final.Since his return to Test cricket during the 2023 Ashes, Hazlewood has shown exceptional form, taking 57 wickets in 13 matches at an average of 19.68.The Australian squad for WTC final includes Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, and Matt Kuhnemann, with Brendan Doggett as the travelling reserve.