Having played more T20 games in the beyond a half year than he had in the past six years, Josh Hazlewood's "awesome" lead-in to Australia's World Cup crusade has made a determination press for their competition opener against South Africa on Saturday.
In the midst of Australia's interfered with groundwork for the competition, Hazlewood has arisen as an uncommon wellspring of solace for selectors having helped the Chennai Super Kings to their fourth Indian Premier League title last end of the week.
With conditions in the UAE set to support slow bowling and twist couple Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa a vital piece of Australia's T20 line-up, it might leave space for only two cutting edge quicks, which would mean somewhere around one of star triplet Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc and Hazlewood are avoided with regards aside.
Cummins, who showed up after the expected time to the UAE following the introduction of his first youngster, will miss Australia's warm-up match against New Zealand early Tuesday morning (1am AEDT, Kayo Sports) and may just make them train meeting before their second warm-up game, against India on Wednesday night (8.30pm AEDT, Kayo Sports).
The 28-year-old has missed Australia's beyond 18 T20s and not played any cricket for almost a half year, which means he'll be underdone contrasted with the other quick bowlers in the crew.
Having driven Australia's assault on their colder time of year voyages through the West Indies and Bangladesh, Starc is allowed to play both warm-up games this week close by Kane Richardson, who has played quite recently a solitary one-day game since April, and Hazlewood, who is without a doubt the most fight solidified of the speed group of four.
A star at Test and one-day global level, Hazlewood had played only eight T20s for his country in the seven-and-a-half years between his introduction in 2013 and last year's visit through England.
He'd likewise been once in a while located in T20 establishment rivalries as he focused on the more drawn out designs, and surrendered last year that he was probably not going to win a spot in Australia's crew for the 2020 T20 World Cup, which was eventually delayed because of the pandemic.
From that point forward, nonetheless, he's played 22 T20 matches for club and country and was a vital wellspring of wickets in an elegant Chennai side in the previous month, playing nine games in the second 50% of the competition close by any semblance of MS Dhoni, Faf du Plessis and Dwayne Bravo.
The 30-year-old said he picked to get back to the IPL - while Cummins, Starc and Richardson stayed at home - to allow himself the best opportunity of making Australia's World Cup side.
"That was my speculation going in," Hazlewood said having connected up with the public crew in Abu Dhabi.
"Conditions, the components here - it's very hot - and simply getting a run of rounds of T20 cricket driving into the World Cup. It's been awesome."
Australia will use this week's warm-up matches to finalise their team structure for the Proteas clash, with selectors yet to confirm if they will pick five frontline bowlers - meaning Agar would bat at No.7 - or just four bowlers and opt for an extra batting option.
Complicating matters is the fitness of allrounder Marcus Stoinis, who is back bowling in the nets after suffering a calf injury but played as a batter only in his most recent game, for Delhi last Wednesday.
Should Stoinis be fully fit, selectors would be more likely to pick just four bowlers given they would have three allrounders - Stoinis, Mitch Marsh and Glenn Maxwell - in the top six to share the bowling load.
The Australians picked five bowlers in their T20 winning streak in 2019-20 that steered them to the No.1 ranking in the world, but reverted to a four-man attack at times on their recent winter tours.
"The six batsmen and five specialist bowlers, it's certainly a model I've gone with throughout my whole head coaching career - and it's been a very successful model," coach Justin Langer earlier this year.
"But if you look ahead - we might look at this 7-4 model, where you have a couple of allrounders. Different teams do it differently around the world.
"We're going to play on some pretty worn wickets, especially towards the back end of the World Cup.
"We might have to find different ways of winning our games."
If conditions demand it, there's also the possibility of Australia picking three frontline spinners - Agar, Zampa and Mitch Swepson - while Richardson's skillset differs to the other pace bowlers and he should be well suited to the dry surfaces in the desert.
"I think spin will play a huge factor and we've got some quality options," Richardson said last week. "Then I need to fight it out with the other quicks who are all high quality, so it won't be an easy team to make. If I do get selected, I think conditions should work in favour of what I have in my arsenal."
For Hazlewood, simply having the opportunity to play 20-over cricket has allowed him to unlock his potential in the shortest format, just at the right time.
"I feel pretty confident in my role now," he said. "It's pretty similar role whether it's for Chennai or Australia - a couple (of overs) up front and then a couple at the end. So (I'm) feeling more confident with every situation I'm in.
"You never can dominate T20 cricket as a bowler, I don't think. There's just so many different elements. But I'm feeling good about my game."