Former Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has criticized his fellow countryman Josh Hazlewood for choosing to focus on the Indian Premier League instead of the World Test Championship final against South Africa, stating that this decision has certainly raised some eyebrows. One of the brilliant bowlers for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Josh Hazlewood, returned to the southern franchise after the IPL was briefly suspended because of border tensions between India and Pakistan.
This was against many other Australian athletes who chose not to go back to India for the duration of the competition. Following their victory over Punjab Kings, RCB claimed their first IPL trophy. Josh Hazlewood was instrumental in capturing 22 wickets throughout the season, including the pivotal wicket of the dangerous opening Priyansh Arya in the final that led RCB to the win.
On Saturday, South Africa defeated five wickets in the final of the World Test Championship held at Lord’s. Josh Hazlewood, a key member of the Australian bowling attack, could only claim two wickets. Johnson stated these opinions in the West Australian, having played six seasons in the IPL for teams including Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), and Mumbai Indians.
Johnson, in his statement, mentioned, “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.”
Among others, he also aimed his criticism toward senior players, including Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, captain Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon, pointing out that if their goal is to extend their careers till after the Ashes, this betrays a wrong mentality. Johnson also said that the successful big four following the attack of Australia include Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon. He further added that these bowlers should not be taken for granted as a lock going forward either.
