Cricket great Shane Watson sends David Warner a warning about his retirement plans after Mitchell Johnson’s extraordinary strike
- Warner has publicly stated his intention to retire from the Test arena
- Former speedy Mitchell Johnson thought it was an arrogant move
- Johnson was scathing about Warner in a recent newspaper column
Australian cricket great Shane Watson has warned David Warner about his retirement plans as the fallout from Mitchell Johnson’s extraordinary attack on the opening batsman in a newspaper column continues.
Watson, 42, urged Warner to realize ‘you never know what’s going to happen’ after the veteran publicly announced his intention to end his Test career with a farewell at the SCG in front of family and friends in January against Pakistan.
It was a bold move considering his place in the Aussie XI is anything but guaranteed, and that clearly left Johnson indignant.
In a scathing newspaper column, Johnson felt Warner ‘did not justify sending in a hero’ and questioned why a ‘struggling Test opener’ felt he could name his own retirement date.
“Is this really worth a swan song, a last hurray against Pakistan who was predicted a year in advance as if they were bigger than the game and the Australian cricket team,” Johnson wrote.
Shane Watson has warned David Warner about his retirement plans as the fallout continues from Mitchell Johnson’s extraordinary attack on the opening batsman in a newspaper column
Earlier this year, Warner publicly marked his intention to conclude his Test career with a farewell at the SCG for family and friends in January 2024 against Pakistan.
Former Test fast Mitchell Johnson felt Warner ‘doesn’t justify sending out a hero’ after the events in Cape Town in 2018 and questioned why a ‘struggling Test opener’ felt he could name his own retirement date
“It’s been five years and Warner still has never really gotten the ball tampering scandal under control [in Cape Town].
“The way he’s going out now is backed by more of the same arrogance and disrespect toward our country.”
Johnson also noted that little fuss was made about the retirements of bowling greats Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath and that the pair “didn’t tell the world months in advance” when they would end up.
Watson called Warner’s comments “interesting,” and emphasized sports fairy tales don’t apply to all athletes.
“Dave put a stake in the ground way out there, which hasn’t been done before, as far as I can remember… where someone said in a year’s time Sydney is my place to finish,” Watson said on the Willow Talk podcast.
“Because you never know what’s going to happen, form only, or you dominate, you get that opportunity.
‘Ricky Ponting would have loved the perfect send-off he wanted too, and most players do too. [but] sometimes you get a tap on the shoulder and you have no choice.’
One man who could replace Warner at the top of the list for 2024 and beyond is Cameron Bancroft.
After Johnson called for Warner to be dropped from this year’s Australian Ashes tour, Candice Warner (left) hit back, saying his views were irrelevant and ‘didn’t have much merit’.
Cameron Bancroft looms as Warner’s likely replacement once the veteran leaves the Test arena
The opener has been maligned since his role in the sandpaper saga led to him being banned from the sport by Cricket Australia, along with Steve Smith and Warner.
However, his form has made him an irresistible candidate for selection, with Bancroft plundering 1,457 runs in the past two Sheffield Shield seasons with Western Australia.
Watson added that while runs are crucial, sometimes blending in with a team is just as important.
“In a cricket team environment, it’s not always just the numbers that are the reason why you get picked or not,” he said.
“It’s about whether you’ve had an opportunity before and how it went, how you blend in with the playing group… all those different factors come into play.
“It’s subjective, it’s not just about the numbers.”