Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has responded to Mitchell Johnson’s criticism of his decision to play in the IPL 2025 playoffs instead of preparing for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Australia went on to lose that final to South Africa at Lord’s.
In his column for The West Australian, Johnson had questioned Hazlewood’s choice and priorities. “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.
Hazlewood had recently recovered from a shoulder injury before heading to India. He played a key role in helping Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) win their maiden IPL title. He picked up 22 wickets during the tournament. However, in the WTC final, he could only take two wickets.
“We know what’s going on inside our rooms.” – Hazlewood
Ahead of the West Indies Test starting June 25 in Barbados, Hazlewood addressed the issue while speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald. He said he hadn’t seen Johnson’s remarks and explained his reasoning behind choosing to play the IPL.
“I haven’t seen any of that, to be honest. We know what’sgoing 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,” Hazlewood said.
He also explained how rain disrupted his preparation back home. “Sydney, it was raining, and I had literally nowhere to bowl. I got to Brisbane for three or four days, and it was very wet. We were lucky to get on. I just thought the best place to bowl was India. We were still in the competition, we were going to play the semis, and I was going to be there for 10 days. I think it was comfortably the best option.”
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