Australia's preparation for the next World Test Championship (WTC) Final is at full throttle, with the limelight shining on senior pacer Josh Hazlewood. The game, to be contested at the legendary Lord's Cricket Ground, will pit Australia against South Africa. Hazlewood, who has been in breathtaking form of late, will be one of the major stalwarts to look out for, considering his bravado in the just-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL).

The 34-year-old pace bowler was a star performer for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to guide the team to its first-ever IPL trophy. With 22 wickets from only 12 matches at a respectable average of 17.54, Hazlewood was the top wicket-taker for his team and third overall in the tournament. This earned him the nickname of being 'HazleGod' by Indian fans—a title that has gone viral on social media.

In spite of the admiration, Hazlewood is humble about the new nickname. In a video posted on the ICC's Instagram, he confided that he found the nickname flattering but had his doubts about its catching on in his native country. “Yeah, hopefully, it runs out of steam pretty quickly. It's flattering, obviously, to hear it around the grounds in India, but I don't think it'll take off in Australia, he remarked with a grin.

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Australian colleagues Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon also added to Hazlewood's new nickname. Starc, having a good chuckle about the name, hoped it stuck and complimented Hazlewood's phenomenal form and contribution in the IPL. He was looking forward to seeing his pace colleague contribute the same vigor and talent to the final at Lord's.

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Nathan Lyon, however, had a lighter perspective to offer. In his account, Hazlewood had even begun calling himself 'HazleGod,' a development that had left the off-spinner totally bewildered. Lyon accepted Hazlewood's monopolistic dominance of India and teased that the nickname could well be with us for a long time.