Australia opener David Warner has finally spoken in response to explosive remarks made about him by former teammate Mitchell Johnson.
Johnson revisited the sandpaper gate scandal in an explosive tirade, blasting the Australian opener for wanting a farewell Test in Sydney. But what sparked that column was a "quite personal" message he had received from Warner back in April this year in response to a piece he wrote after the latter's wife Candice defended her husband's spot in the Test team.
At 37 years old, Warner expressed his desire for a farewell in Sydney after the third Test against Pakistan, set to commence on January 3, 2024. The three-match Test series begins in Perth on December 14.
Despite the controversy stirred by his former teammate, Warner, who boasts 8,487 runs from 109 Tests since his debut in 2011, opted not to engage further.
"It wouldn't be a summer without a headline, would it? It is what it is. Everyone's entitled to their own opinions. Moving forward, we're looking forward to a nice Test over in the west,” Warner was quoted by Fox Sports during an event in Parramatta.
Warner also talked about how he dealt with such criticism.
“I resonate with where I grew up. For me, it was a great upbringing with my parents, but it taught me everyday … to work hard. My parents ingrained that into me. When you get on to the world stage, you don’t realize what goes with that. There is a lot of media. A lot of criticism. But there are also a lot of positives. And I think what is more important is what you see today, people coming out here to support cricket, Australian cricket, and cricket in general. It is fantastic,” Warner added.
Since the summer of 2020-21, Warner has managed one Test century from 25 matches, a memorable double-hundred against South Africa in his 100th Test at the MCG in 2022.
(PTI inputs)
