Mitchell Johnson‘s ongoing criticism of fellow Australian player David Warner has led to consequences. Despite initially agreeing to be the speaker at two events organized by Cricket Australia (CA), Johnson has been removed from the role by the board.
The conflict began when Mitchell Johnson wrote a column in The West Australian, expressing criticism of David Warner before his anticipated farewell Test series.
Johnson, 42, specifically called out Warner for not fully acknowledging his role in the ball-tampering scandal and questioned the justification for a grand farewell given Warner’s inconsistency over the past three years.
The Johnson-Warner debate has made headlines, drawing attention from the media and numerous current and former Australian players.
“Mitchell is one of Australia’s most celebrated bowlers, but we felt on this occasion it was in everyone’s best interests that he was not the guest speaker at the CA functions,” a CA spokesperson told The Advertiser.
After Mitchell Johnson’s remarks before the initial Australia-Pakistan Test, there were speculations about his exclusion from Triple M’s commentary team. However, this turned out to be unfounded, and Michael Hussey took on the responsibility of speaking at public events.
Mitchell Johnson maintains his remarks despite David Warner’s century in the Perth Test
Johnson openly criticized Warner, even though the opener scored 164 in the first innings of the initial Test against Pakistan.
“On day one of the first Test against Pakistan Warner rode his luck early on — and it could have gone either way — and you take that and he went on to make 164. He did what he was paid to do in the first innings before Saturday’s duck in the second innings.”
“Warner may have denied he cares about criticism of his form, but it definitely does drive him as shown in his performance in the first innings,” Johnson wrote in his latest column for The West Australian.
Warner, despite his century, did not receive the Player of the Match award in Australia’s substantial victory, as Mitchell Marsh was honoured for his all-round contributions.
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