Mitchell Johnson questions Josh Hazlewood's decision of 'priortizing' IPL post poor performance in WTC final

Mitchell Johnson slams Josh Hazlewood’s IPL commitment post WTC final loss. (Photo: ICC and BCCI)

Former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson was not pleased with Josh Hazlewood's choice to return to the Indian Premier League's (IPL) postponed 2025 season, bypassing his preparations for the World Test Championship final against South Africa. After Australia were unable to defend the WTC title, Hazelwood came under fire for his actions.

Hazlewood was not expected to play for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2025 final leg or other games, which were halted for about a week due to border-tensions between India and Pakistan. There were some worries about an injury as well, which he believed needed to be addressed because the WTC final was quickly approaching. He did, however, go back to India for the last few games.

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Johnson slammed Hazlewood for that choice in his column in the West Australian, claiming it had a negative impact on his performance in the WTC final, where he only took two wickets. The former cricketer also demanded stringent measures, saying that Australian selectors have to think carefully before choosing such individuals.

"We've seen concerns about Hazlewood's fitness in recent years, and his decision to prioritise returning to the delayed Indian Premier League over his national team preparations raised eyebrows," he wrote.

"Our successful 'big four' bowling attack of Mitchell Starc, Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon can't be taken for granted as a lock going forward either. If veteran players are sticking around just for the Ashes as a send-off, it does beg the question of whether that's the right mindset. It's crucial that we embrace the future and build confidence in selecting our next Test players," added Johnson.

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Johnson acknowledged that he does not intend to be "overly critical," but he does want the selectors to give guys like Scott Boland, Josh Inglis, and Sam Konstas an equal opportunity.

"Players on the fringe such as Sam Konstas, Josh Inglis and Scott Boland, despite being 36, have a different mentality. They're eager to prove themselves every time they get a chance. I'm not being overly critical of an ageing team which has achieved plenty together. Our established players including the senior bowling quartet, Usman Khawaja, (Steve) Smith and (Marnus) Labuschagne have achieved some great things," Johnson said.

"It's essential to consider when the right time is to make some tough calls. The upcoming three-Test Windies tour seems like an excellent opportunity to give deserving players a chance to shine, and the finger injury to Smith might have the silver lining of prompting some regeneration. Finding a specialist No.3 is crucial, and with the form Labuschagne has shown over the past 18 months, it's hard to justify moving him back into that position. Trying to make changes in all top-three batting slots at once would indeed be risky, and I don't think the selectors will go that route," he added.