SYDNEY, Australia, CMC- Australia and Mumbai Indians seamer Josh Hazlewood has pulled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to keep himself fit and fresh for the tour of the West Indies, officials have confirmed.
Pat Howard, general manager of Team Performance, says agreement on Hazlewood’s pullout was reached been Cricket Australia and the IPL.
The lengthy IPL schedule clashes with the Australian players’ resting time, and a tight international schedule ahead.
“Josh’s workload has changed significantly since he first began attending the IPL,” Howard said.
“The IPL is the players’ leave period and in Josh’s case it was deemed that not playing was the best use of that time in the lead-up to a busy winter”.
Hazlewood, who claimed figures of 5 for 68 on Test debut against India in Brisbane, has been a crucial member of the Australia team this summer.
Australia begin their West Indies tour with a tour game in Antigua, starting May 27, three days after the IPL final.
The teams face off in a two-Test series.
