Australian star fast bowler Josh Hazlewood made an impressive return to Test cricket after recovering from injury. During the match against Bangladesh in Darwin, Hazlewood took 6 wickets, conceding 89 runs in the first innings of the Australian team. With this achievement, he surpassed the mark of 300 Test wickets, becoming the ninth Australian bowler to reach this milestone. It is worth noting that Hazlewood played in the Test match after a 13-month absence; his last match was in July 2025 against West Indies.
The third day of the match, played at the Marara Cricket Ground, concluded with Bangladesh's first innings reaching 426 runs. Before this Test, Hazlewood was only five wickets away from the 300-wicket mark. By taking six wickets, he not only exceeded this figure but also made his long-awaited return to the squad memorable.
Hazlewood secured his 300th Test wicket against Bangladeshi all-rounder Mehdi Hasan Miraz. Miraz, who scored 65 runs, attempted to hit a ball flying over the off-stump, but it was caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Following this, Hazlewood also dismissed Ibadat Hossain to the keeper Carey, thus ending Bangladesh's innings. This marked the fourteenth time in his career that he had taken five wickets, as well as the fourth instance of him taking six wickets in one innings. Previously, he achieved such a result in a Test match against India in Bengaluru in 2017.
Despite the pitch in Darwin not favoring strong fast bowling influence, Josh Hazlewood successfully troubled the batsmen by maintaining a consistent line and length of delivery. Although he could have taken the first wicket earlier, Nathan Line made an error by failing to catch Tanwid Hasan Tamim. Tamim capitalized on this and scored a score of 101. Later, Hazlewood dismissed Muminul Haque, interrupting a dangerous partnership with Tamim. With a new delivery, he sent captain Najmul Hossain Shanto to the pavilion when he had scored 84 runs. Subsequently, Hazlewood got Hasan Mahmud out via LBW, and Taizul Islam was caught by Cameron Green.
Following Hazlewood's achievement of 300 wickets, a significant milestone was also noted for the current Australian bowling unit. In addition to Hazlewood, Nathan Line, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins have also taken over 300 Test wickets. For the first time in Test cricket history, such a quartet of bowlers in the starting lineup of one team, whose names are associated with 300 or more wickets, has been assembled. Line has taken 568 wickets, Starc 435, and Cummins 316 Test wickets.
Captain Pat Cummins admitted that the choice between Boland and Hazlewood was a difficult decision. Ultimately, the team management relied on Hazlewood's experience, and he justified this choice by taking six wickets. Nevertheless, despite his brilliant performance, Bangladesh managed to score 426 runs in the first innings, securing a large advantage of 228 runs over the hosts. Now, the home team faces the challenging task of returning to the game.
