Old Boys will have some added ammunition for their Tamworth first grade final round top-of-the table clash with City United, which gets underway on Saturday.
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Josh Hazlewood, or the Bendemeer Bullet as he is known, is set to line up for his former club as he continues his recovery from the back injury, which ruled him out of the test series against Sri Lanka.
"It is huge," Tamworth District Cricket Association president Ben Middlebrook said after leading Tamworth Blue to victory in the Connolly Cup final.
He doubted whether outside of Sydney a current test player has turned out for the club they grew up playing for.
It's pretty exciting for the young guys playing in the game.
- Tamworth District Cricket Association president Ben Middlebrook
"It's pretty exciting for the young guys playing in the game," he said.
"All our guys (Old Boys) know. They're all keen. No-one is missing the game."
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It started out as a bit of a pipe dream really.
"Aaron (Josh's brother) and I bugged him when he was injured and said you should come and have a bat," Middlebrook who is also Old Boys' captain said.
They never really thought it would come to fruition though.
Then a couple of weeks ago Josh said to Middlebrook he just needed to get clearance.
"On Friday he sent us a message in his Old Boys shirt and said 'I'm back'," Middlebrook said.
"Just to have everything align, for him to be able to play it's a one in a million chance."
He said under TDCA rules as long as you are registered with the club you can play, you just can't play finals.
There is no doubt the Australian vice-captain will pull a crowd to No.1 Oval because he hasn't been sighted since the Sydney test against India.
It is around 12 years since Hazlewood last pulled on the whites for Old Boys.
He will play as a batter, the plan at this stage for him to bat around four.
Aaron, who has been in sensational form for the ladder leaders in recent weeks, said it will be great to play with his younger brother again.
"I'm very excited," he said, as is Josh, he added.
"I never thought I'd play with him again. It will be a special moment."
Hoping to be right for the Aussie's World Cup defence and Ashes series, there is no doubt the Australian vice-captain will pull a crowd to No.1 Oval as he makes his return to the pitch.
He hasn't played since the Sydney test against India.
The Aussie quick is the spearhead of a campaign in which Australia’s cricketers will pump up to $30m into the sport’s grassroots, and will stay up for the week between the two days.
