Former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson recently launched a scathing attack on David Warner while reacting to talks of the veteran opener getting a hero’s send-off in what is expected to be his last Test match against Pakistan in January 2024.
Johnson mentioned that Warner "never really owned" his part in the infamous ball-tampering scandal he doesn’t deserve a hero's send-off.
Johnson also brought up Warner's fading numbers in Test cricket, asking why the selectors would enable such a batter to decide his exit date.
Meanwhile, Australia’s World Cup-winning skipper Michael Clarke has said that there could be a possible beef between the two, which led to such an explosive remark from Johnson.
Recalling his playing days, Clarke added that the two have strong characters and “went hard each other at nets.” He, however, refused to comment if they had a beef while playing together.
“Yeah (that’s why I wonder if) maybe I’ve missed something here ... Mitch hasn’t played for years now so maybe there is a beef, I don’t know. When you’re in a role like this ... if you have an opinion and it’s based on what’s best for the team, or your experience, then go with that. But it should never be personal. I try not to make it personal and if it comes across that way you try and apologise for that because you don’t want that,” Clarke said while speaking on Big Sports' Breakfast.
“In every sporting team. Not everybody gets on. Not everyone is best friends. Dave is a strong character, Mitch is a strong character, (they) went hard at each other in the nets. I saw that but I couldn’t sit here and say they had beef against one another when we played,” he added.
On the other hand, former Australia Test captain Tim Paine has claimed that Warner and Johnson didn't get along well.
“I think if you read between the lines, him and Davey Warner clearly don’t get along. So it’s a bit easier for him to fire a few shots at him. They’re just different people. I have nothing to shed on that. They’re just different. I’m only reading between the lines. Just reading that tells me that they probably don’t get along. But again some of his points about his (Warner’s) stats and his position in the team and him getting a little bit of extra time were probably ruined by the personal nature of it.
“And bringing sandpaper back into it. And saying David being a person who used his leadership role for power. I played with David and he certainly didn’t do that," Paine told SEN.
Australian batter Usman Khawaja disagreed with Johnson's opinion, saying that Warner and former skipper Steve Smith have done a lot for Australian cricket and the 12-month bans imposed on them for plotting the ball-tampering scandal were enough punishment.
"Warner and Smith are heroes in my mind," Khawaja was quoted as saying by Reuters. "They missed a year of cricket through dark times. No one’s perfect. Mitchell Johnson’s not perfect.
"What they have done for the game – how they have grown the game – far outweighs anything else they have done. To say Dave Warner or anyone else involved in sandpaper (gate) is not a hero ... I strongly disagree because they have paid their dues. A year out of cricket is a long time.”
