Josh Hazlewood has described his recent three-week injury lay-off as a "blessing in disguise" ahead of Australia's limited-over tour of India this month.
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Hazlewood lasted just eight balls in last month's Perth Test against New Zealand before sustaining a low-grade hamstring tear.
It forcing him to miss the remaining two matches in Melbourne and Sydney.
But, now recovered, the tall quick has made his return in white-ball ranks with the Sydney Sixers in the BBL where, after two matches, he is the tournament's most miserly bowler (conceding 4.63 runs per over).
A surprise omission from last year's World Cup squad, Hazlewood, who last played an ODI in November 2018, was recalled for the Indian tour.
His most recent Twenty20 international was almost four years ago.
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But he feels his successful cameo with the Sixers has him well prepared for the subcontinent challenge.
"It's maybe a blessing in disguise for this (Indian) tour having these couple of games," Hazlewood said.
"I'm happy with what I've done in the first two (BBL) games and happy I've got two white-ball games under the belt.
"Patty (Cummins) and Mitchell Starc are going to face coming straight from red-ball cricket into a one-day series and maybe not have as much time to work on those variations."
On his 29th birthday, Hazlewood was the unlikely hero with the bat against the Adelaide Strikers on Wednesday, coming to the crease and slashing Peter Siddle for three successive boundaries to raise victory by two wickets.
He had no inkling his big day would pan out that way.
"Not very confident," he recalled of his feeling when he walked into the middle with the Sixers 8-124.
"I was trying to get bat on ball. I got lucky with a few to the short boundary. We fluked that one, I think."
Australian Associated Press
