Josh Hazlewood
Josh Hazlewood – Professional Australian Bowler
Josh Hazlewood is an Australian professional cricketer, widely recognized as one of the best fast bowlers of the modern era. Thanks to his height (196 cm / 6’5″), insane accuracy, and tight ball control, he’s often mentioned in the same breath as his fellow Aussie and legendary bowler Glenn McGrath.
Josh Hazlewood: Biography And Sporting Career
Josh Hazlewood (full name: Josh Reginald Hazlewood) was born on January 8, 1991, in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia, but he spent his childhood and grew up in the small town of Bendemeer, 40 kilometers east of Tamworth. His parents, Trevor and Anne Hazlewood, actively supported their son’s early interest in sport, encouraging outdoor activity and an active lifestyle. Here’s how Josh himself recalled his childhood in Bendemeer and his early sports days:
“We were outdoors all the time, riding our bikes and playing cricket and other sports in the backyard.”
No surprise that the future athlete excelled in track and field. He was the best at school in javelin and discus and also in shot put, but the Australian ultimately went with cricket, explaining his choice like this:
“It’s a lot more fun playing with your teammates.”
Josh Hazlewood’s cricket journey kicked off in Bendemeer Primary School, where he won his first interschool tournament in fourth grade. Later, while studying at Oxley High School (Tamworth), he confirmed his potential by becoming the 2008 state champion as part of the school team.
After going through the multi-step development system in regional New South Wales teams and the Australia U-19 squad, where he became ICC Under-19 World Cup 2010 champion, Josh Hazlewood made his international debut on February 13, 2013 in a T20I match against the West Indies, delivering a modest but far from disastrous performance for a newcomer. Then, in 2014, he made his debut for Australia in Test cricket, a home match against India. And he took 5 wickets for 68 runs in his very first innings. That spell was widely seen as a statement performance: impressive, classy, and packed with upside.
His steady numbers earned Josh a spot in Australia’s squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which ended with the “Baggy Green” lifting the trophy. A key part of his contribution to that title run was taking 4 wickets in the quarter-final against Pakistan. To keep it short but still punchy, here are the moments that turned the “Bendemeer Bullet” into a straight-up world-cricket name:
- Historic debut (2008). At 17, he became the youngest fast bowler ever to represent New South Wales;
- Youth-level triumph (2010). A key player in Australia’s winning U-19 World Cup campaign; took 4 wickets in the final against Pakistan;
- Double World Cup success (2015, 2023). Made a decisive impact in Australia’s ODI World Cup titles;
- Pink-ball pioneer (2015). The first cricketer ever to win Player of the Match in a debut day-night Test (vs New Zealand);
- World leadership in T20 (2021). T20 World Cup winner with Australia, and the first bowler in history (at that time) to sit in the ICC top 10 rankings across all three formats simultaneously.
And that resume doesn’t even fully cover his club success. On his list: IPL champion titles with Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, wins in the BBL and CLT20 with the Sydney Sixers, plus multiple awards in the Sheffield Shield and the Marsh Cup with NSW Blues.
As of now, Josh Hazlewood continues his career, playing for Australia in Tests, ODIs and T20Is, though unfortunately he will miss the T20 World Cup 2026 due to injury. He’s also active in the BBL for the Sydney Sixers, in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and on the Australian domestic scene for New South Wales.
Josh Hazlewood: Personal Life And Interesting Facts
As for his personal life, Josh is married to Cherine Murphy Christian, a professional makeup artist. They’re high school sweethearts: they met at Oxley High School and started dating back when they were teenagers. In 2024, the couple welcomed their first child, a son named Zac. The birth was a big moment: Josh missed the first half of IPL 2024 to stay with his pregnant wife and be there for the delivery of their firstborn.
- To wrap up, here are some interesting facts about the player and his stats:
- Hobbies: when he’s not locked in on cricket, Josh is into cooking, watching sitcoms and listening to music;
- Home: the family lives in Sydney. It’s known that Hazlewood owns property in the Lower North Shore area;
- Nicknames: teammates and fans often call him “Hoff” or “Bendemeer Bullet”;
- Betting story: in 2003, Hazlewood’s father placed AUD 100 that his son would debut for the national team before turning 30. In 2014, the bet landed and brought the family AUD 50,000.
Josh Hazlewood does not have official social media accounts such as Instagram, Twitter (X), or Facebook. According to the player himself, social media never really appealed to him. His manager Neil Maxwell also confirmed that Hazlewood is not officially present on social platforms.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Bat Avg | Top Score | Balls bowled | Wickets | Bowl Avg | Best Bowl | Catches |
| Test | 76 | 565 | 11.53 | 39 | 15 423 | 295 | 24.21 | 6/67 | 30 |
| ODI | 96 | 135 | 15.00 | 23 | 4 978 | 142 | 27.66 | 6/52 | 32 |
| T20I | 60 | 29 | 9.66 | 13 | 1 348 | 79 | 21.26 | 4/12 | 13 |
| T20s | 127 | 71 | 14.20 | 13 | 2 850 | 170 | 21.29 | 4/12 | 20 |
| List A | 148 | 242 | 11.00 | 30 | 7 816 | 221 | 28.02 | 7/36 | 45 |
| FC | 119 | 918 | 11.06 | 43 | 22 953 | 441 | 24.02 | 6/35 | 46 |
