Mitchell Johnson has slammed cricket bosses for making an extraordinary move after sacking him over his attack on David Warner
- Ex-fast bowler suspended after two speaking engagements
- Cricket Australia responded after his explosive newspaper column
- This was followed by a shock approach from Johnson
Mitchell Johnson has mocked Cricket Australia’s (CA) invitation to an awards ceremony just a week after the governing body canceled two of his speaking engagements.
CA last week axed two of the retired fast bowler’s guest speaking jobs during the first Test in Perth over his highly controversial column about David Warner and chief selector George Bailey.
Johnson, who will be doing radio commentary with Triple M this summer, kept quiet after it emerged he had pulled out of paid talks.
Johnson (pictured playing in the Big Bash League) has hit out at Cricket Australia for inviting him to an awards ceremony shortly after banning him from two speaking engagements
The governing body sacked Johnson after he delivered a stunning strike on David Warner (pictured as he celebrated his century in the first Test against Pakistan)
But the former left-arm firefighter quickly took to social media after receiving an invite to the 2024 Australian Cricket Awards.
“Is Cricket Australia serious??” Johnson wrote on Instagram, including a screenshot of his invite and the Rage Against The Machine song ‘Take the Power Back’.
‘Last week I was canceled for 2 speaking engagements.
“This week I was invited to celebrate with them.”
Johnson spoke to Warner, his former Australian teammate, about the opener’s ‘hero send-off’ and opened old wounds from Sandpapergate in an explosive article for The West Australian.
The 42-year-old was also critical of Bailey’s position, saying his other former teammate had a conflict of interest in deciding Warner’s future.
‘Is Cricket Australia serious?’ an incredulous Johnson asked his followers on Instagram after learning he had been invited to the 2024 Australian Cricket Awards
After the heavy criticism, Warner came out in the opening Test against Pakistan and hit 164 to ensure his SCG retirement from red ball cricket.
Johnson later admitted that the column was personally motivated after receiving messages from Warner and Bailey earlier this year.
“I tried to call Warner to talk to him about it, which I’ve always been open about with the guys,” he explained on his Mitchell Johnson Cricket Show podcast with broadcaster Bharat Sundaresan.
‘It was never anything personal then. Until that moment.
‘That was the reason for me to write this article, or part of it. It certainly plays a role.’
Warner has refused to add fuel to the fire, saying Johnson is entitled to his opinion.