Before the IPL 2021 final, former Australia opener Shane Watson drew parallels between Chennai Super Kings pacer Josh Hazlewood and bowling legend Glenn McGrath. Hazlewood’s control of the ball coming out of his fingers and accuracy, according to Watson, are comparable to McGrath’s.
Hazlewood, like his idol McGrath, is a tall and accurate fast bowler. Whose sole purpose is to demonstrate accuracy rather than pace. Both guys debuted at the age of 23, with Hazlewood receiving his baggy green cap. From Glenn McGrath during India’s tour of Australia in 2014-15, during. Which he also took a five-wicket haul at The Gabba in Brisbane.
“For me, the thing that I have loved about Josh Hazlewood is the control. That he has of the ball coming out of his fingers, and that’s along the lines of what Glenn McGrath did. The control that he (McGrath) has on how much the ball swings or which way the ball seams, Josh had that even from a young age, so that for me was one of the comparisons,” Watson said
Glenn McGrath
“Yes, Glenn McGrath, his accuracy, time and time again, his ability to keep doing it again is something that not many fast bowlers ever had, but that’s one of the similarities for me with Josh Hazlewood. Just his control over the ball coming out of his hand, that’s why when there’s a little bit of dew on the wicket or with the brand new ball, he’s incredibly good with just being able to get something out of the wicket. Just with enough variation or enough little something out of the wicket or something in the air, which means he’s very hard to play in these conditions too,” Watson added.
To beat Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2021 final on Friday in Dubai, Chennai Super Kings will rely on Josh Hazlewood’s wicket-to-wicket bowling and subtle movement.
Read more: Saba Karim says “We haven’t seen any important contributions with the bat from them” in IPL 2021