Hazlewood was asked how the team would approach day four, with Australia facing an almost impossible task at 3-12 while chasing a daunting target of 534
Australia’s paceman Josh Hazlewood (3nd R) celebrates his wicket of India's Virat Kohli with teammates (Pic: AFP)
Australia batter Travis Head on Wednesday firmly rejected suggestions that the Test team is fractured following remarks by Josh Hazlewood that implied potential discord within the squad.
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Hazlewood, speaking to the media after day three of the Test, was asked how the team would approach day four, with Australia facing an almost impossible task at 3-12 while chasing a daunting target of 534. His response raised eyebrows: “You probably have to ask one of the batters that question. I’m sort of relaxing and trying to get a bit of physio and a bit of treatment, and I’m probably looking mostly towards the next Test and what plans we can do against these batters.”
The comments caught many by surprise, sparking speculation about a possible divide in the Australian dressing room. Former cricketer Adam Gilchrist suggested, “That to me tells me there is potentially a divided change room. I don’t know if there is. I might be reading too much into that,” while ex-England captain Michael Vaughan was equally stunned, stating that he was “staggered” by Hazlewood’s words.
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In response to the backlash, Head swiftly moved to quash any rumors of division within the team. Speaking to 7NEWS, he clarified: “I think (people have) picked the bones out of a comment on the back of a poor week, which is fine. All the boys hung out together last night, nothing changed in the way we were as a group."
Head further emphasised the unity within the squad, adding, “We stuck together, had some good conversations as we always would, win or draw. It’s a pretty level group. No doubt there was a lot of disappointment around the room but definitely no fractions.”
Following Hazlewood’s comments, Australian captain Pat Cummins also moved to strongly refute claims of a split, describing the team’s bond as stronger than ever. “It’s a really tight unit. It’s probably one of the tightest teams I’ve ever played with. We really enjoy playing cricket together,” Cummins said, underscoring the team’s collective spirit despite the setbacks on the field.
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