Former Australia Cricket Legend, Michael Clarke, is not happy with Josh Hazlewood is currently not in Australia instead choose to play IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The ace cricketer, said that Hazlewood, should be in Australia to prepare for the upcoming World Test Championship Final and subsequently followed by Test series against England for the upcoming Ashes scheduled in the month of June.
“I don’t know why he’s (Hazlewood) over playing IPL. I don’t know why he’s not over here in Australia preparing to play Test match cricket,” Clarke told Fox Sports.
I know they’ll have people over there, in the nets he’ll be bowling more than what the IPL players are bowling, in preparation for Test match cricket. But I just don’t know if him bowling three overs, four overs right now is his best preparation for an Ashes series, after the injuries he’s had and the amount of time he’s had out of Test cricket,” he added.
Hazlewood wasn’t playing in first few matches for RCB in the ongoing edition, due to injury and he made massive comeback in the last match where he clinched 2 wickets by giving away 15 runs in his quota of four overs.
The question was asked to him, whether Cricket Australia should say no to BCCI and ask Hazlewood to leave the competition to which Clarke responded “No one will say no India even CA can’t do anything in this regard”
Clarke also raised concern about Cameroon Green playing in IPL and ignoring his workload as the former believes that the ace all rounder fitness is extremely important especially in regards to the upcoming WTC final and Ashes series on the line.
“We had the conversation about Cameron Green … is it in Cameron’s Green’s interest right now, with his body, with the Ashes series coming up, with the amount of cricket we have coming up, for him to be over there playing IPL? Or would he be better off taking four weeks rest, recover, rehab and start a pre-season?” Clarke said.
“Unless Cricket Australia are going to say, ‘OK the IPL has just offered you $3 million for eight weeks … we’ll pay you that $3 million, you stay home and train with us,’ there’s nothing they can do,” concluded on providing equal pay to all those players who are choosing IPL over national team.
