UP until Josh Hazlewood was named player of the tournament, few noticed that he was actually the tri-series’ best quick (11 wickets at 20.09).

Even fewer would have noticed that 24 matches into his one-day international career, Hazlewood has not registered a batting average.

The beanpole quick finished unbeaten on zero against the West Indies in Barbados, and in the process became just the fourth player in history to go 24 matches not out.

The only other Australian to have gone this long without getting out is Nathan Bracken, who scored 31 runs across the four innings he played in his first 24 matches, with a high score of 21.

Nathan Bracken is the only other Australian to have gone 24 ODIs without an average. Source: News Limited

Bracken fell for the first time in his 26th match, knocked over for a second-ball duck by Sri Lanka’s Malinga Bandara, and finished his career with a respectable average of 11.70.

The West Indies’ Winston Davis and Patrick Patterson are the only other men to have finished their first 24 matches without getting out, with the latter the only player to ever go 26 matches without an average. He fell in his 27th match for two, and finished his career with an average of 8.80.

In truth, the fact Hazlewood doesn’t have an average has much more to do with the batsmen ahead of him than it does with his own skill with the willow; after all, the 25-year-old has only batted five times in ODI cricket.

Onto his stronger suit, the quick continues to impress with his accuracy. On top of being Australia’s highest wicket-taker, and the third-highest among all three countries, Hazlewood was also the series’ second-most economic quick (4.30), behind South Africa’s Kyle Abbott (3.80) who only played two matches.

He was also the only quick to register a five-wicket haul, something that bodes well for his hopes in Sri Lanka where conditions will be even less favourable for the fast bowlers.