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Josh Hazlewood has played just one of Australia's seven Tests this year, with conditions in Asia making him one of the country's most unlucky bowlers in years.

Pat Cummins finds it hard to think of a better Australian bench warmer than Josh Hazlewood in his lifetime.

And on numbers alone, it's hard to argue.

Hazlewood has found himself on the sideline again for Australia's second Test against Sri Lanka, with selectors preferring spin on another dry Galle wicket.

It means in Australia's last nine Tests, Hazlewood has played just one.

Four of those absences came through a side injury in the Ashes, but he has since been picked for one of only five Tests in Asia.

This for a man who was ranked as the fourth best bowler in the world when he last played regularly.

In the past three years Hazlewood has taken 51 scalps at an average of 21.98.

In that time only Cummins, Kyle Jamieson and Ravichandran Ashwin have taken 50 or more wickets at a better average.

"He's got to be right up there. Off the top of my head (I can't think of a better reserve)," Cummins said.

"It's kind of a weird quirk of our sport.

"We can have one of the best players in the world purely based on conditions not fitting into your side.

"It's strange ... Hopefully it adds a couple of years in terms of his career."

Cummins is Australia's captain and the world's No.1-ranked bowler in Test cricket.

In essence, he is the definition of an immovable object in Australia's best team.

Mitchell Starc had been considered a safe pick in Sri Lanka too, with the left-armer Australia's best in the country in 2016 and also creating footprints for Nathan Lyon bowling over the wicket.

But even his spot came under the microscope for the second Test, with Australia considering Glenn Maxwell to bat at No.8.

"(The quicks) are not happy with their fast-bowling captain," Cummins quipped.

"When I took over, they thought we're going to have six fast bowlers playing.

"But it's purely conditions based. They know their quality. They're great team players. They know their worth to the team."

Hazlewood arrived in Sri Lanka well aware of his status in Asia, accepting he could miss out on playing in the Tests.

The likes of Andy Bichel and Brett Lee often found themselves in similar situations on tours.

But in their cases Bichel's record never matched that of Hazlewood's, while Lee's days as 12th man were often after his prime.

Stuart MacGill was also a regular reserve in the 1990s and 2000s, stuck behind the greatest legspinner of all-time in Shane Warne.

Similarly Damien Fleming also only played 20 Tests in a fine career between 1994 and 2001, but a significant number of his absences were through injury or returning from them - leaving Hazlewood in a class of his own.