Two days after attacking his former teammate and current Australia opener David Warner, former pacer Mitchell Johnson has disclosed the reason for his tirade.
Two days after Mitchell Johnson launched an attack on his former teammate and current Australia opener David Warner, the former pacer has now revealed the reason behind his tirade. Johnson, who criticized the Aussie opener and reignited the ball-tampering controversy, asserted that Warner doesn’t deserve a “hero’s sendoff,” particularly about the Pakistan series being his last. The 42-year-old also criticized Australia’s chief selector George Bailey for continuing to support Warner despite his recent poor performances.
Johnson disclosed that earlier this year, Warner sent him a text after Johnson wrote a column on the southpaw’s wife, Candice, defending her husband’s position in the team.
While not delving into the specifics of Warner’s “quite personal” text message, Johnson acknowledged that it, along with the ball-tampering scandal, was one of the reasons behind his column in the West Australian.
“I received a personal message from Dave. I attempted to call him to discuss it, as I’ve always been open to communication. I’ve made it clear to the guys since I retired that if I’m in the media and expressing things you disagree with, just come and talk to me,” stated the former Australian pacer on The Mitchell Johnson Cricket Show.
“It wasn’t a personal matter until this moment. This is probably what motivated me to write the article, at least in part. It was a contributing factor. Some of the things said in that, I won’t repeat. I believe it’s up to Dave to disclose if he wants to discuss it. Some statements in there were highly disappointing and frankly, quite bad,” he further commented.
Bailey’s response to Johnson’s article on Warner, which he perceived as an allusion to his mental health, also angered the former cricketer.
“To inquire about my well-being due to my past mental health challenges is essentially undermining the content of my article and attributing it to mental health, which I find quite reprehensible. It’s essentially taking a jab at someone’s mental health and suggesting that I must be influenced by a mental health issue to express my views. That’s not accurate; it’s entirely the opposite. I am actually in a clear and rational state of mind,” he remarked.
In response to Johnson’s column on Warner, Bailey had expressed, “I’ve received brief excerpts of it – I hope he’s okay.”
