Mitchell Johnson lashes out at David Warner over the farewell test against Pakistan

Warner had previously said he wanted to end his Test career when Australia took on Pakistan in the third and final match of the series at the SCG in January 2024.

New Delhi: Former Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has lashed out at David Warner over his upcoming farewell Test series against Pakistan, questioning why the left-handed opener is being given a hero’s farewell while still reprising his role in the infamous 2018 Ball takes. manipulation scandal.

Warner had previously spoken about his desire to end his Test career when Australia faces Pakistan in the third and final match of the series at the SCG in January 2024. On Sunday, Warner was named in Australia’s 14-player squad for the first Test against Pakistan. at Optus Stadium in Perth, from December 14.

“As we prepare for David Warner’s farewell series, can someone tell me why? Why a struggling Test opener gets to name his own retirement date. And why does a player at the center of one of the biggest scandals in Australian cricket history deserve a hero’s dismissal?” Johnson wrote in his column for ‘The West Australian’.

Johnson went on to delve into Warner’s involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal during the Test series against South Africa in Cape Town, which meant the opener was banned for 12 months.

“Although Warner was not alone in Sandpapergate, he was a senior member of the team at the time and someone who enjoyed using his perceived power as a “leader.” It’s been five years and David Warner has still never really gotten over the ball tampering scandal. What will fans bring to Warner? Bunnings would be sold out without sandpaper.”

“The way he is going out now is backed by more of the same arrogance and disrespect towards our country. Warner is certainly not Australia’s Test captain and never deserved to be. In fact, he ends his career under a lifetime leadership ban.”

“It is the shame of ball tampering in South Africa that many will never forget. Does this really deserve a swan song, a last hurray against a Pakistan that was predicted a year in advance as if it were bigger than the game and the Australian cricket team?

“Ultimately, an international cricket career is not just about your statistical performance with bat or ball. How you conducted yourself and how you played the game will live on long after you leave.

In this year’s Ashes, Warner made just 285 runs at an average of 28.50 in five Tests. His Test average stands at 44.43, but has only averaged 31.79 since the start of 2020. Johnson also took aim at Warner’s poor recent form in Tests, as well as chief selector George Bailey.

“Yes, he has a decent overall record and some say this is one of our best opening bats. But his last three years in Test cricket have been ordinary, with a batting average closer to what a tail-runner would be happy with.

“Granted, he made his double century against South Africa at the MCG last summer, but those were the only runs he had scored for years. Ahead of this year’s Ashes series, that was the only time he reached 50 in his previous 17 Test innings.

“Dealing with Warner in recent years, who played with Bailey in all three formats, raises the question of whether Bailey was simply out of the game too quickly and in the lane and too close to some players.”