Former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson criticized the automatic selection of the bowling quartet—Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc—in a scathing assessment of Australia's World Test Championship (WTC) defeat to South Africa, urging selectors to rethink their strategy.

Johnson was particularly critical of Hazlewood, who took only two wickets during the five-wicket loss. He accused the pacer of prioritizing the IPL over preparations for the national team after joining the tournament late due to a side strain.

Despite the delayed start, Hazlewood played a significant role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's title-winning campaign.

He claimed 22 wickets during the season and dismissed Priyansh Arya in the final. However, despite being a key member of Australia's pace attack, Hazlewood managed only two wickets in the WTC final at Lord's, which South Africa won by five wickets.

“Our successful ‘big four’ bowling attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon can’t be taken for granted as a lock going forward either.

We’ve seen concerns about Hazlewood’s fitness in recent years, and his decision to prioritize returning to the delayed Indian Premier League over his national team preparations raised eyebrows. Lyon didn’t look his best on day three either,” Johnson wrote in The West Australian.

Johnson also questioned whether senior players were “sticking around” for a farewell during the summer Ashes and called for more opportunities to be given to hungry fringe players.

He stressed that talented cricketers like Scott Boland, Josh Inglis, and Sam Konstas were eager to represent their country but were not being given adequate chances.

“If veteran players are sticking around just for the Ashes as a send-off, it does beg the question of whether that’s the right mindset. It’s crucial that we embrace the future and build confidence in selecting our next Test players. Players on the fringe, such as Sam Konstas, Josh Inglis and Scott Boland, despite being 36, have a different mentality. They’re eager to prove themselves every time they get a chance,” Johnson added.

“I’m not being overly critical of an ageing team which has achieved plenty together. Our established players, including the senior bowling quartet, Usman Khawaja, (Steve) Smith, and (Marnus) Labuschagne, have achieved some great things,” Johnson stated.

Australia’s next Test assignment will be a tour of the West Indies, where they are scheduled to play three Tests.