Mitchell Johnson lashes out at Warner’s 'hero's send-off’
Mitchell Johnson and David Warner
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29 Jan 25
Former Australia fast-bowler Mitchell Johnson slammed veteran David Warner who is expected to play his last Test match against Pakistan this month, stating he did not deserve a “hero’s send-off”.
Writing for The West Australian, Johnson opined that Warner’s form did not warrant a nomination of his own retirement date.
“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? Johnson wrote.
“Why a struggling Test opener gets to nominate his own retirement date. And why a player at the centre of one of the biggest scandals in Australian cricket history warrants a hero’s send-off? He questioned.
Johnson went further, criticising Warner over his involvement in the infamous 'Sandpapergate' scandal in South Africa in 2018 that earned him a 12-month ban.
“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 was bigger than the game and the Australian cricket team?” he added.
