Hazlewood ready to spearhead attack

Josh Hazlewood has shrugged off any concerns about his bowling loads and declared himself fit and ready to spearhead Australia for the remainder of the summer after a scintillating spell under lights on day two in Adelaide.

Hazlewood's place in the side was under some threat owing to what team management deemed a hefty workload in the first two Tests, with the paceman getting through 39 overs in Brisbane and 38 in Perth.

He bowled another 17.2 overs yesterday in taking 3-66, including the first-ever wicket in a day-night Test match to assert Australia's authority on the match from early in proceedings. 

But it was with a relatively new pink ball, under the floodlights of the Adelaide Oval, that the right-arm quick truly shone. 

Across two separate spells from the Riverbank End, Hazlewood gave New Zealand's batsmen a thorough working over, taking three wickets with beautiful swing and seam movement, seeing another two chances dropped by captain Steve Smith, and reaffirming his status as one of the world's best young fast bowlers. 

With the retirement of Mitchell Johnson and a probable lengthy lay-off for Mitchell Starc, Australia's National Selection Panel will likely find it difficult to leave Hazlewood out of any Test side over the coming months, though the fact that the next series is against an understrength West Indies side could afford them that luxury. 

For his part, Hazlewood sees no reason to stop now, particularly after the 24-year-old reached his 50th Test wicket with his third of the evening. 

"I feel good. I had a little break after the Ashes, and I was going to be rested from the Bangladesh tour, so I think that time was well used," he said, before stating he believed he could play out the remainder of the summer without a problem. 

"I recovered pretty well and was ready to go for the summer, so the body's feeling really good … better by each match."

Hazlewood was exceptional in the absence of Starc, shouldering much of the workload in bowling more than 40 per cent of the 37 overs bowled in the hosts' second innings. 

"We're obviously going to miss (Starc) this innings, but I think everyone has the responsibility to step up a little bit and fill that gap, and I feel like I did that tonight," he said.

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"It's certainly up there (with as well as he's bowled in Test cricket). It's quite enjoyable bowling at night with that relatively new pink ball, and I think if you can just keep getting fresh batsmen coming in all the time and keep taking wickets, it's quite difficult to bat."

New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor was impressed by Hazlewood's durability, saying the paceman's testing spells had been difficult to handle for the Black Caps batsmen. 

"You've got to give the bowlers credit … once again I thought Hazlewood bowled outstandingly well," said Taylor, who top-scored with a-run-a-ball 32 before being trapped lbw by the lanky NSW quick.

"To come in and bowl 14 or 15 overs shows a lot of ticker. Not only to come in and bowl that many overs, but obviously when a senior man in Starc is not there at the other end. 

"I'm sure Steven Smith would have been proud of the way he went out there."