Follow UsFormer Australian speedster Mitchell Johnson slammed star pacer Josh Hazlewood for choosing to play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a delayed Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, which was prolonged by a week because of tensions between India and Pakistan at the country’s western borders.
Johnson, in his column for the Western Australian, wrote, “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.”
Hazlewood, who was one of the most vital cogs in the wheel for RCB in their historic maiden title-winning campaign, took 22 wickets in the league, but failed to pick more than two for Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025 against South Africa, which happened right after the end of the IPL.
In fact, Hazlewood remained wicketless in the fourth innings as South Africa chased down 282 with five wickets to spare.
Johnson also batted for young Sams Konstas' inclusion in the playing 11 in place of Marnus Labuschagne as Australia’s opener for the West Indies Tests, where the WTC 2023–25 finalists will begin their 2025-27 campaign in a three-match series.
“Konstas looms as a solid option for the pitches in the West Indies, especially with an experienced player in Khawaja alongside him,” wrote the man with 590 international wickets for Australia across all formats.