In 1903, Pelham Warner, who played for Middlesex, was chosen to captain the first tour of Australia to be sponsored by MCC, in the winter of 1903–04. According to Warner, Hirst and Rhodes were the first two players to be selected, as "the two best bowlers of the present day in this country". Before the tour, critics claimed Hirst would be unsuccessful, citing his failure during his previous tour. However, Warner later wrote: "Hirst, to say nothing of his batting, bowled excellently throughout the tour, and was of much more value as a bowler than his average would suggest". He further described him as the best all-rounder in England and noted that "the tighter the match, the better he plays". "Wisden" was less convinced, and the report on the tour said that, as a bowler, "Hirst, though by no means the failure he had been with Mr Stoddart's team six years before, fell far below his English form." While commenting on his batting record, the "Wisden" report noted: "The Australian wickets pitches in fine weather are rather too fast to suit the pulling and hook strokes of which he is such a master in England." As he could not make the ball swing in Australia in the same way it did in England, Hirst used leg theory, bowling at leg stump with fielders close by on the leg side.