Josh Hazlewood brushes off Mitchell Johnson criticism as he sheds light on Scott Boland challenge

Having battled injuries for the past two years, Josh Hazlewood drew the ire of Mitchell Johnson when he opted to return to the IPL. The Australia quick has responded to his former teammate’s criticism.

Josh Hazlewood has defended his decision to return to the Indian Premier League after his preparation for the World Test Championship final was questioned by former teammate Mitchell Johnson.

Hazlewood has meanwhile argued that Scott Boland is applying pressure to all three of the mainstay Australian quicks, not just Hazlewood in isolation.

Of the Australian XI that played in the World Test Championship final, Hazlewood was the only player to join the squad late after he remained in India for the ultimately triumphant playoffs run of his Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

That decision was queried by ex-Australian star Mitchell Johnson after the Aussies lost the WTC decider to South Africa, a match in which Hazlewood took 2-85.

“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 a column for The West Australian.

But Hazlewood insisted that he had been better served heading back to India for the conclusion of the IPL season - the competition having been suspended after tensions between India and Pakistan escalated dramatically - particularly given Sydney’s weather would have made it hard to bowl outdoors if he remained in Australia.

Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc chaired Mitchell Johnson off after his final Test. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

“It was raining in Sydney. I’d probably always in the back of my head (had) going to go back to IPL regardless, but I think I couldn’t get a net in Sydney anywhere,” Hazlewood told this masthead in Bridgetown ahead of the first Test against the West Indies.

“It was wet. Been raining heaps. No one was training. Went down to Brisbane for a few days and even then, we just snuck in two sessions with more rain forecast. The week after, looked at India, and I thought, ‘I’m definitely gonna get two games of high intensity cricket.’

“I got four good bowling sessions in the nets, no rain-interrupted, so they were high intensity as well. And I just felt like I was in such a better position after those. I think it was 10 days, even only 10 or 12 days in India, you can’t really buy that experience of playing in a IPL semi and final.

“I know it’s four overs, but you’re bowling a few overs in warm-up. So those days I’m getting eight overs. In the nets, across those 10 days, probably another 30 overs. So that was going to be the best spot I could get some work in, and it panned out perfect.”

Josh Hazlewood opted to return to the IPL and went on to star in the final, Picture: Arun Sankar/AFP

While it has been Hazlewood most regularly pitted against fellow quick Boland for a spot in the Aussie Test XI in recent years, the 34-year-old says that the Victorian is also keeping Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins on their respective toes.

“I don’t necessarily think he’s breathing down my neck. I think it’s breathing down all three,” Hazlewood said.

“I know, one’s a captain (Cummins), one’s a left-arm (Starc), which is the point of difference.

“And I’ve been the one that’s been injured, probably more so than the others in recent times. But yeah, I think it’s pressure on everyone. I think we saw in the Ashes (in 2023), we started with the three right armers. So I think conditions based, we could play any attack really.

“I think he’s breathing down all the quicks’ necks. And it’s probably a good thing at our age now to have that little bit extra to push us along. And get us out of bed in the morning. So it’s a good position to be in.”

Scott Boland keeps Australia’s other three fronline quicks on their toes, according to Josh Hazlewood. Picture: Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP

Hazlewood was restricted to just two of seven Tests across the series against India and Sri Lanka last summer after a run of injuries.

However that does not necessarily mean he will need to be rested from upcoming Tests, suggesting that the way in which he is managed will hinge on his in-game workload.’

“I think you can really structure your schedule with white-ball (cricket), because you know, ‘you’re’ going to bowl four overs or 10 overs.

“But in a Test you could bowl between 25 and 45 or even more. If you get through a Test, and you bowl under anything under even early 30s, mid 30s, as you move on, you almost think, ‘what a result, bring on the next Test.’

“But I think if you go maybe back-to-back Tests at 45 plus or 40 plus, then you have those conversations.”

Originally published as Josh Hazlewood brushes off Mitchell Johnson criticism as he sheds light on Scott Boland challenge