Josh Hazlewood at the Death: How a Test Match Maestro Took Over T20 Chaos

Let’s face it – a few seasons ago, if you saw Josh Hazlewood’s name in a T20 squad, you’d be scratching your head thinking, He’s a legend in Tests, but T20? I don’t know about that. Fast forward to this season, and Hazlewood has established himself as an integral part of death bowling in the IPL, pulling off game-changing spells all whilst outsmarting the top-order batters with skill and intellect. So, what changed? How did a bowler known for his red-ball reliability become a white-ball weapon, and more so, in the death overs where careers are made and broken? Let’s take a look at how we arrived at the emergence of the new-and-improved Josh Hazlewood.

From Red Ball Roots to T20 Reinvention

Hazlewood certainly did not arrive with a bang in T20 cricket. He was for most of his early career more of a Test player, where he would bowl tight lines, generate bounce and constantly turn the screws on batters. However, in the T20 format, that does not quite cut it, simply judging him. Hazlewood did not get out in a position at the start of his IPL career to truly hone in on a death-bowling routine. He was in and out of formats. He was bowling, then not bowling, and simply neither was rhythm in death-bowling available.

If you give a bowler of Hazlewood’s quality focused time to play T20 cricket, then you start to see magic. The experts are saying that once he was able to get this runway, consistent play, focused training, and limited format shifts, he was able to develop a genuine death-over toolkit.

Also read:- David Warner’s Long-Awaited PSL Breakthrough Comes with a Historic T20 Punch

How Hazlewood Outsmarts Batters

Now the fun starts! In the most recent IPL match, pundits spotted a little trickery – and cleverness – from Hazlewood. He had the appearance of loading to bowl a slower ball, with the same action and everything! – But then, for want of a better term, he’d bowl at the other end of the pace spectrum, short of a length. Batters thought it was off-pace (which is why they loaded their shot late), and after playing a mistimed slog or two, the wickets began to fall.

That type of nuanced deception is what separates good death bowlers from great death bowlers. It’s not purely trickery for trickery’s sake. It is tactically intelligent. By selling the slow ball then delivering on pace, Hazlewood messed with the batters’ timing—arguably the most important asset in T20 batting. This tactic resulted in several big wickets, including Jaiswal, Jurel, and Simran Atma, the third big threat in one match neutralized. That’s not just good bowling.

Mental Game on Point

Pressure? What pressure? Hazlewood now bowls the death overs as if he is enjoying a flat white on a lazy Sunday morning, and he brings such calmness that it’s hard to challenge him. No fuss, no fluster. Just steady execution. When the opposition at the time needed 18 off 12 in their IPL match, I remember thinking the game was slipping away. Hazlewood? He simply saw an opportunity. He took a key wicket, straightened his lines, and turned the game upside down.

The mental resolve is what separates the elite death bowlers from the rest of the pack. Anyone can practice Yorkers in the nets. To bowl them under lights, a crowd that’s roaring and batters swinging like it’s the last ball they will ever face takes extreme mental strength.

So, cricket supporters, here’s a question for you to ponder- if someone like Hazlewood, a traditional red-ball bowler, can become a T20 star, who is the next name to surprise us to open up the format?

We would love to hear who your picks are in the comments.