Josh Hazlewood Gives Befitting Reply To Mitchell Johnson For His 'IPL Over Australian Team' Remark: 'Best Place To Bowl Was In India'

Pat Cummins-led Team Australia conceded a heartbreaking five-wicket defeat to Temba Bavuma's South Africa in the Final match of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-2025 cycle, at the iconic Lord's in London.

The Australians had a decent start to the game with Steve Smith's 66-run knock and Beau Webster's 72. In the first inning, Australia scored 212 runs.

It was Kagiso Rabada who picked up five wickets, and Marco Jansen bagged three scalps in their respective spells, during Australia's first innings.

With the help of Pat Cummins' six-wicket haul, South Africa failed to put up a show in their first inning. David Bedingham (45 runs from 111 balls) powered the Proteas to 138.

Following that, South Africa made a solid comeback to the game. Australia displayed a disappointing performance in their second inning as they struggled against the Proteas' bowling attack. In the end, it was Mitchell Starc's 58-run knock that powered the Aussies to 207.

Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi dominated the bowling attack with their fiery spells.

Aiden Markram's Century Helps South Africa To Win WTC 2023-2025 Final

In the fourth inning of the game, Aiden Markram (136 runs from 207 balls) and Temba Bavuma (66 runs from  134 balls) showcased a stunning performance and clinched a five-wicket win for the Proteas.

ALSO READ: South Africa Captain Temba Bavuma Accuses Australia Of Using Unethical Terms While Sledging, Narrates Shocking WTC 2025 Final Incident

Following Australia's defeat to South Africa, former cricketer Mitchell Johnson made a scathing attack on Josh Hazlewood for prioritizing the Indian Premier League over his national team.

Earlier, Mitchell Johnson wrote in The West Australian, "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." 

ALSO READ: Australia Head Coach Andrew McDonald Offers A Crucial Update On Marnus Labuschagne's Test Future

Josh Hazlewood Replies Back To Mitchell Johnson

Now, Josh Hazlewood has cleared the air and replied to Johnson. Hazlewood said that it was raining in Sydney and Brisbane, for which, he decided to stay in India and practice for the WTC 2025 Final and take part in the IPL 2025 at the same time.

He added that bowling in India was the 'comfortably' best option.

“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 semis, and I was going to be there for 10 days. I think it was comfortably the best option,” Josh Hazlewood told the Sydney Morning Herald.

In the 2025 season of the IPL, Josh Hazlewood won the title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), helping them win their first trophy. The Aussie speedster played 12 matches in the IPL 2025, bagging 22 wickets at an economy rate of 8.77.