Hazlewood's taken people by surprise - Herald Sun

Josh Hazlewood. Source: The Daily Telegraph

JOSH Hazlewood doesn't have a Twitter account. He's not a fan of Facebook either. "I'm a country boy. I've got other things to do," he says.

He doesn't mind listening to Jimmy Barnes. He follows the Newcastle Knights.

And he reckons Two And A Half Men has never been the same since Charlie Sheen left the US sitcom.

Dig a little deeper and the 21-year-old also tells you he was handy at athletics.

"I was the three-time Australian champion at javelin from under-13s to under-15s," Hazlewood said.

"I was also good at shot put and discus. But I preferred cricket because it was a team sport, and you always got the chance to play with your mates."

But what else do we really know about Josh Hazlewood? That's been the burning question for millions of cricket fans who have watched the fast bowler in action for the Sydney Sixers at the Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa the past fortnight.

Hazlewood and his buddies Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins have terrorised batsmen, helping Sydney remain undefeated in the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.

The Sixers were due to shoot for five straight wins in the semi-final against the Titans in Centurion early this morning, with victory assuring them a spot in Monday morning's final against Highveld.

So impressive have the young Sixers' pace attack been, they wouldn't look out of place bowling together for Australia in the opening Test against the Proteas next month.

While Starc has taken wickets, and the popular Cummins' has consistently nudged 150km/h, Hazlewood is the one who has really taken people by surprise.

As Sixers general manager and former Test seamer Stuart Clark said: "The one guy who has exceeded my expectations is Josh. I always knew he could bowl, and he's going to be a wonderful bowler who wouldn't look out of place in the Test team now. He's bowled the house down this tournament. He's been fast, big, and he's intimidating. Mix him with Starc and Cummins, and it's a wonderful trio."

Tom Moody has been commentating at the Champions League and knew Hazlewood would fire. It might explain why a couple of years ago, as coach of Western Australia, Moody said he crossed the country to try and convince Hazlewood to begin his first-class career in the west. Moody travelled to Tamworth, in country NSW, and met Hazlewood and his father Trevor to deliver his sales pitch.

Hazlewood, then only a teenager, made it clear his priority was to wear the baggy blue. He thanked Moody for the long trip, but didn't want to waste his time.

"As soon as he put that case across, it was the end of the conversation," Moody said.

There were wraps on Hazlewood at just 16. He was the thick-set kid who grew up in Bendemeer, the tiny town just north of Tamworth with a population of just 200 people.

Apart from a cricket pitch, there was a pub, general store, primary school and caravan park.

More importantly, there's now pay-TV, which has allowed the few locals to stay up at all hours and watch Hazlewood bowl in South Africa.

Hazlewood says the bush values have helped keep his feet on the ground.

When it came to relocating to Sydney, Hazlewood had more than half a dozen grade clubs chasing him.

The Sydney Cricket Club, formerly known as Balmain, went to the effort of putting him and his dad up in a private box at the Sydney Test in 2008, when Australia played India.

It was the first time he met Steve Waugh and the man he's forever being compared to, Glenn McGrath.

After a string of injuries and representative commitments crippled the Blues front-line pace attack, Hazlewood and Starc were given their chance to impress. They did.

Then a back injury sidelined Hazlewood for the entire summer of 2010-11. Stress fractures messed up the back half of his campaign last summer.

But now he's fighting fit and with a full pre-season under the belt. Chairman of selectors John Inverarity is known to be a huge fan of Hazlewood.

So, too, NSW teammate Doug Bollinger, who cannot believe how Hazlewood has "come along in leaps and bounds", while Sixers all-rounder Moises Henriques knows a long Test career awaits for his good mate.

"He's a very cool customer, as you can probably see by the way he plays his cricket. He has a great head on his shoulders," Henriques said.

Hazlewood wants to win the Champions League, and then re-ignite the Test dreams that were forced to be put on hold.

"Obviously I went through the ranks quickly at first, but this time around I've had to work harder, which has been good in a way," Hazlewood said.

"I'm not taking anything for granted at all.

"There's a great opportunity to play more Shield cricket, and if you can put in a strong performances there, you never know what happens."

The baggy green is in his sights. The same can't be said for opening a Twitter of Facebook account any time soon.

Sydney Sixers played the Titans at 2.30 this morning. Victory would see them play Highveld at 2.30am on Monday at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, screened live on Fox Sports.