David responds to Johnson, Ricky makes a point: The latest on the Warner Test retirement saga
Ever since former Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson lashed out at veteran opener David Warner in a column for The West Australian, the controversy has just kept escalating.
Taking a brutal dig at Warner, Johnson questioned why he was being given a Test farewell in the upcoming home series against Pakistan. He brought out the left-handed batter's involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal as well as the latter’s poor recent red-ball record to make his point.
According to Johnson, Warner has never really owned up to the ball-tampering incident and opined that a player at the center of one of the biggest scandals in Australian cricket history doesn’t warrant a hero’s send-off. The former left-arm pacer also questioned chief selector George Bailey's role in the situation, claiming that he seems too close to some of the players.
There have been several reactions to Johnson’s criticism of Warner, including one by the Australian opener himself. As the controversy refuses to die down, here are some of the recent developments in the Warner Test retirement saga.
David Warner breaks silence over Johnson's column
Reacting to Johnson’s critical column on him, Warner was pretty straightforward in his assessment of the situation and commented that everyone was entitled to have an opinion.
He added that he would prefer to look at the positives, including the support for Australian cricket.
“It would not be a summer of cricket without a headline. It is what it is. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. But moving forward, we are looking to a nice Test over in the west,” he told the media.
“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. 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,” the 37-year-old added.
Meanwhile, a few days after his column grabbed the limelight, Johnson claimed in his podcast that a "pretty bad" text message from Warner was one of the driving factors behind his article.
Michael Vaughan backs David Warner over Test farewell
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has backed Warner over the latter’s Test farewell plans. Admitting that the Aussie has had his share of controversies, Vaughan described him as a great of the game and felt that he had earned the right for a fairytale send-off.
“I do think David Warner is a great of the game. Because of what’s happened and because Dave’s had some controversy in his career, I think there’s some people who won’t give him that mantle and won’t talk about him in those lights. But you only have to look at his record. His record in World Cups,” Vaughan wrote in The Daily Telegraph.
“There’s not many players who get the fairytale ending but you would say David Warner if he gets through to that last Test, which I’d back him to do so, he’s earned the right to have that fairytale send-off on his home ground,” he added in his column.
The second and third Tests of the Australia-Pakistan series will be played in Melbourne and Sydney respectively - the latter being Warner's home ground.
“Make sure it's based on facts and data rather than personal feelings” - Mark Taylor
Former Australian captain Mark Taylor, known as one of the saner voices in the game, opined that as a commentator Johnson has a right to express his thoughts.
He, however, stated that views should be strictly based on facts and data, keeping the personal angle aside.
"I think as commentators, and Mitchell Johnson is now a commentator like me, you have got to look at things, analyze things and comment but you've got to try and take the personalities out of it. That's OK but make sure it's based on facts and data rather than personal feelings," Taylor told World Wide of Sports
"But, there's nothing wrong in my opinion as a commentator with someone like Mitchell Johnson making a comment about whether he thinks George Bailey should have done this or should have done that,” he added.
Reacting to Johnson’s column, Bailey took a dig at the former left-arm seamer and wondered if he was “okay”.
Ricky Ponting ready to play mediator
Another former Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, commented that he is ready to play mediator between the two - Johnson and Warner.
According to Ponting, the two big names of Australian cricket need to sit down and have a face-to-face conversation to sort out the issues between them.
“I have to get in between these two guys at some stage ... I think I need to be the mediator and get them both in a room and let them have it out rather than playing it out in the media. They’re both pretty feisty characters and we know this issue that’s come up now goes back six or eight months, back to the Ashes selection," Ponting told Sunrise.
“That’s where it all started. It sounds like an issue that’s gone on without either of them sitting down and having a face-to-face conversation. I’d like to see that happen,” he added.
While Warner has been picked for the first Test against Pakistan in Perth, his place for the next two Tests could depend on his performance in the opening match.
“They are both adults” - Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh, Aussie legend and former captain, reckons that being adults, both Johnson and Warner should be able to handle criticism.
"They are both adults who are entitled to their opinions and should be able to handle criticism," he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Interestingly, as per reports, Johnson is likely to commentate in the first Australia vs Pakistan Test.
“Just pick up the phone and sort it out”- AB de Villiers’ suggestion
According to South African legend AB de Villiers, the two Aussie cricketing superstars should get on the phone and sort out the manner.
Expressing disappointment at things being made public, he said in a video on his YouTube channel:
"I just don't like this public conversation between the two of them. Just pick up the phone and sort it out. Ask the guy let's go out for a cold drink and sort the issues out. I feel there are some scars from the dressing room but don't let the world get in on this.”
Warner has played 109 Tests, scoring 8487 runs at an average of 44.43, with 25 hundreds and 36 fifties.
However, since the start of 2022, the 37-year-old averages 26.74 runs in 20 Tests with just one three-figure score to his name.