Hazlewood admits 'thriving' on extra responsibility in Windies tour

Australian pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood has said that he is thriving on the extra responsibility placed on his shoulder in the ongoing series against West Indies after the absence of Mitchell Starc due to an ankle injury.

24-year-old Hazlewood, who bagged 51 Test wickets in 2015, admitted that he was jubilant with the opportunity to lead the bowling unit in the Windies tour, News.com.au reported.

Reflecting on his successful year, Hazlewood said that he was extremely happy with his performance and insisted that he had become very consistent again.

Hazlewood, who had recently been named as the ICC's Emerging Cricketer of the Year, affirmed that he was quite thrilled to receive the award, adding that he hopes his achievement would lead him towards something better.

Earlier, West Indies had suffered an innings and 212-run defeat at the hands of Australia in the first Test in Hobart.

With the defeat, the Caribbean side are currently trailing 0-1 in the three-match series and will play their second match on the Boxing Day in Melbourne followed by the third Test in Sydney.