Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood has responded to Mitchell Johnson's harsh criticism following his performance in the WTC Final 2025 loss to South Africa. The Aussie stated that the IPL was the best platform to prepare for the WTC Final.
Johnson Questions Hazlewood’s Fitness and IPL Commitment After WTC Final
Former Australian bowler Mitchell Johnson had taken a dig at Josh Hazlewood for his under-par bowling effort in the WTC Final 2025 against South Africa, where the bowler picked up only 2 wickets in the entire Test match.
Johnson raised concerns about Hazlewood's fitness and criticized his decision to participate in IPL 2025, which ran later than scheduled
“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 had written in The West Australian.
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Hazlewood Defends IPL Return
Notably, Josh Hazlewood, who suffered an injury, went back to Australia, and his return to the IPL was in doubt. But the bowler came back and joined RCB for the playoffs. In a recent development, the Aussie quick responded to Johnson’s comments and said that the IPL was his best preparation to get in shape ahead of the WTC Final 2025.
“I haven’t seen any of that, to be honest,” Hazlewood told the Sydney Morning Herald when asked about Johnson’s column.
“We know what’s going on inside our rooms. It seemed far and away the best place to get ready for any type of cricket that was coming up. The weather was definitely a factor as well. Just getting over there and playing intense competition like that, it’s hard to replicate in training," he added.
Also read: Hazlewood and Lyon respond to firey Mitchell Johnson's comments calling for change
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Coming next, Josh Hazlewood is in preparation for the West Indies tour, where they play a 3-Test match series starting from June 25 in Barbados. The Australian board recently announced their batting combination, replacing Marnus Labuschagne and injured Steve Smith with Josh Inglis and Sam Konstas. They’re yet to announce their bowling combination. Stay tuned for more updates on Australia’s tour of the West Indies 2025.
