Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood remains confident of being fit in time for the start of Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign in Sri Lanka next month after an injury-hit summer that kept him out of the Ashes.

Hazlewood was ruled out early in the England series due to a hamstring strain and later suffered an Achilles issue during rehabilitation. As a result, the 35-year-old will miss the latter stages of the Big Bash League with the Sydney Sixers and will not feature in the upcoming T20I series against Pakistan. He is instead aiming to play a warm-up match ahead of the World Cup in early February.

“Everything’s going to plan,” Hazlewood told ESPNcricinfo, adding that his running, strength work, and recovery have progressed well after taking extra time to heal once Test selection was ruled out.

The tournament schedule has worked in his favour, with Australia’s opening match against Ireland set for February 11, allowing additional recovery time. Selectors have indicated fast bowlers will be managed carefully, with the squad unlikely to include more than one player unavailable at the start of the competition.

Hazlewood said the extended rehabilitation period has allowed him to return gradually to light bowling and running while maintaining his strength programme. However, injuries have been a recurring challenge in recent seasons, with only one uninterrupted home summer since the 2020–21 series against India.

Reflecting on his setbacks, Hazlewood described the hamstring injury as unfortunate and said the Achilles issue was linked to long-term ankle niggles. He is now working with medical staff to adjust his workload, particularly for red-ball cricket, by spacing out bowling days to reduce the risk of future injuries.

While the T20 World Cup is his immediate priority, Hazlewood is also set to feature in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. With Australia facing a demanding schedule of up to 21 Tests in 11 months later this year, careful workload management will remain central to his plans.