Mitchell Johnson, the former Australian fast bowler, has blasted his former colleague David Warner, stating that Warner’s request for a test departure on his own terms mirrors the same “arrogance and disrespect” shown during the sandpaper incident in 2018.
Australia’s selectors have named David Warner in the 14-man team for the upcoming first test against Pakistan, scheduled for Sunday. George Bailey, the head of selectors, claimed that Warner is a critical part of Australia’s strongest XI.
Earlier this year, the veteran opener revealed his desire to retire from the longer format after the final test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. However, Johnson accused Warner of forgetting his role in the famed ball-tampering controversy, widely referred to as ‘Sandpaper Gate.’
Johnson voiced reservations about Warner’s apparent desire for a test farewell and questioned why the selectors were accommodating it considering his success over the last two years. Warner has averaged 26.74 in his previous 36 test innings, creating questions about his participation in the squad.
“It’s been five years, and David Warner has still never really owned the ball-tampering scandal. Now the way he is going out is underpinned by more of the same arrogance and disrespect to our country. As we prepare for David Warner’s farewell series, can somebody please tell me why? Why does a struggling Test opener get to nominate his own retirement date? And why does a player at the centre of one of the biggest scandals in Australian cricket history warrant a hero’s send-off?” Johnson wrote.
After his remarkable triple century against Pakistan in 2019, David Warner’s standout performance came in the form of a double century against South Africa in a recent match.
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Johnson continued: “Warner certainly isn’t Australia’s Test captain and never deserved to be, for that matter. He ends his career with a lifetime leadership ban. Yes, he has a decent overall record, and some say he is one of our greatest opening bats. But his past three years in Test cricket have been ordinary, with a batting average closer to what a tailender would be happy with.
It’s the ball-tampering disgrace in South Africa that many will never forget. Although Warner wasn’t alone in Sandpapergate, he was at the time a senior member of the team and someone who liked to use his perceived power as a ‘leader’. Does this really warrant a swansong, a last hurrah against Pakistan that was forecast a year in advance as if he were bigger than the game and the Australian cricket team?”
Warner and Johnson shared the field as teammates from 2009 to 2015, experiencing victories like Australia’s dominant 5-0 Ashes series triumph in 2013–14. Their partnership extended to a triumph at the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015 as well.
“Granted, he made his double century against South Africa at the MCG last summer, but they were the only runs he had scored in years. Leading into this year’s Ashes series, that was the only time he had reached 50 in his previous 17 Test innings,” Johnson concluded.
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