Cricket: Josh Hazlewood visits old friends for home workout at Snake Athletic

According to gym manager Mat Crowe, there were more than a few mouths agape when Australian fast bowler and Bendemeer product, Josh Hazlewood, walked through the doors.

"When he walked in, one of the classes was going on and everyone was like 'What the hell?'" Crowe said.

"There was a few people starstruck, that's for sure."

The 32-year-old is back home to enjoy a break from his Australian duties, and decided to drop in on the gym that is owned and run by two of his oldest mates.

Owner and coach Jake Douglas, Crowe, and Hazlewood first met as students at Oxley High School, and have remained fast friends ever since.

"We grew up together," Crowe said.

"Long story short, I know him quite well ... Jake, Josh, and I went to school together. I've known Josh all my life and we're still very close mates."

After a truncated test summer in which Hazlewood played two games (one against the West Indies and once against South Africa), he stopped by the gym to get some exercise in as he prepares for Australia's test series against India, set to begin next month.

"He just had a couple of things that he had to do for his strength and conditioning," Crowe said.

"So I was like 'Oh, well come and do it here'."

Having known each other since they were teenagers, Crowe and Douglas still see Hazlewood as their mate from school. But that was evidently not the case for all gymgoers.

One young man mustered the nerve to approach the fast bowler, but was visibly in awe during the interaction.

"We had a kid come up to us on the weekend. He was pretty starstruck," Crowe said.

"His jaw hit the ground, that was pretty cool to see."

Both of his mates' journeys have been remarkable for Crowe to watch. While Hazlewood's achievements need no explanation, Douglas has also become one of the best CrossFit athletes in Australia.

"This gym started in his garage, so now to see where we're at with Jake and myself and all the guys involved here, it's pretty crazy," he said.

"It's definitely down to hard work and focusing on the task."

While their catchup last week was brief, Crowe has watched Hazlewood's matches in the past and hopes to fly to India in order to see his old mate ply his trade in the IPL.

"I've been very fortunate to meet a lot of the cricketers, and I've been around and followed Josh to a couple of his games," Crowe said.

"I'm trying to get over [to India] for an IPL match ... I'm trying to see if I can jump on a plane and head out for a week in India with him. That'd be pretty cool."

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