Mitchell Johnson vs David Warner Spat: The last week in the Australian Cricket team was full of controversies as the team went far ahead from celebrating a World Cup win to an ugly war of words among the Ex-Players. This all started with former pacer Mitchell Jonson’s analysis of Warner’s Test form. In a column for the newspaper Western Australian, Johnson slammed Warner’s selection into the Test squad for the three-match Test series against Pakistan which will begin on December 14 in Perth.
Warner has struggled in Tests in the last two years averaging a meager 32.75 in the last 12 Tests. After analyzing Warner’s performance Johnson feels that his performance with the bat has been worse than the low-order batter. On top of it, he resumed the talks of the ball-tampering scandal that had rocked Australian cricket back in 2018. Warner was the main accused of the tampering scandal & was banned from Cricket Australia for 1 year.
What did Johnson say in his newspaper column that started the ongoing war of words between Warner & Johnson?
Mitchell Johnson vs David Warner Spat
Why does a struggling Test opener have the privilege of determining his retirement date? Moreover, why does a player involved in one of the most significant scandals in Australian cricket history deserve a farewell fit for a hero? Over the past three years in Test cricket, his performance has been lackluster, boasting a batting average more in line with what one might expect from a tail-ender. Is it truly justified to grant him a grand farewell, a final spectacle against Pakistan, as if he transcends the essence of the game and the Australian cricket team?
Reacting to Johnson’s statement, Chief Selector George Bailey said that he hope that Johnson is okay. This comment doesn’t go well with Johnson who feels that Bailey has mocked his mental health in the past with this typical jibe on Warner.
Meanwhile, Khawaja who is Warner’s teammate & buddy has defended the opening batter saying that both Steve Smith & David Warner are heroes of the Australian cricket team. And just a single ball-tampering episode can make their efforts sound wrong.
What prompted Johnson to write this Article?
In April 2023, Warner’s wife Candice spoke to Fox News about her husband’s diminishing form in test format.
She expressed, “If Dave doesn’t deliver in that initial Test, who’s a better replacement? His form wasn’t stellar during the last Ashes; Stuart Broad seemed to have his number at least ten times. It didn’t bode well for him, considering his track record there. But the question remains, who would you substitute in?”
After Candice comments, Johnson wrote an article in the Sydney Morning Herald criticizing Candice’s comments. He wrote that Candice’s loyalty is truly admirable but that is quite weird to say that Warner cannot be replaced in the Australian Playing XI.
But the response didn’t go well with Candice who said in an interview with News Corp that Johson can grab attention by using David Warner’s name.
Even former Australian Test Captain, Tim Paine said that Johnson has put forth some of his valid criticism he went too far at times in his daily column. Another former captain Michael Clarke felt that both Warner & Johnson are strong characters & not everyone is each other’s friends.
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