Former Australian cricketer rips into Josh Hazlewood over WTC final flop after IPL stint: 'His decision raised eyebrows'

Former Australian cricketer Mitchell Johnson did not hold back as he ripped into fast bowler Josh Hazlewood for taking part in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 just ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025, which they lost to South Africa .

While Mitchell Starc stayed back in Australia after the IPL 2025 was temporarily halted due to the India-Pakistan conflict, Hazlewood returned to play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the final leg as they won the tournament. Hazlewood’s return did cause a bit of surprise as it was reported earlier that he may miss the final leg due to an injury.

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On his return, the 34-year-old pacer, Hazlewood, said that the IPL 2025 was the best way for him to prepare for the WTC final. “I’ve got to be bowling, you know wherever I am in the world, I’ve got to be bowling getting ready for that game (WTC final) anyway,” Hazlewood said.

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“There’s no better place than I think out in the middle, obviously you’ve got to bowl more, more hours of training from time to time to build up for a Test, but to get that intensity right up, there’s no better place than the IPL,” the RCB pacer added.

Hazlewood, however, had a poor WTC final, taking only two wickets as South Africa won by five wickets.

Johnson questions Hazlewood’s decision to return to India

Former Australian pacer Johnson has now questioned Hazlewood’s decision to return to India for IPL when he was well aware of the WTC final.

“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,” Johnson wrote in his column for the West Australian.

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“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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He went on to suggest how Australia can lead the transition with players like Sam Konstas, Josh Inglis and Scott Boland.

“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.