David Warner has opened up about the attack from his former teammate Mitch Johnson ahead of Pakistan series and the veteran opener is defended by skipper Pat Cummins, who said he disagreed with Johnson’s assessment but defended his right to voice an opinion.
“It would not be a summer of cricket without a headline,” Warner was quoted by Fox Sports.
“It is what it is. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. But moving forward, we are looking to a nice Test over in the west.”
David Warner said his background had steeled him to cope with difficult moments and is not bothered by what Mitchell Johnson’s comments.
“I resonate with where I grew up. For me, it was a great upbringing with my parents, but it taught me everyday … to work hard. My parents ingrained that into me,” he said.
“When you get on to the world stage, you don’t realise what goes with that there is a lot of media. A lot of criticism.
“But there are also a lot of positives. And i think what is more important is what you see today, people coming out here to support cricket, Australian cricket and cricket in general. It is fantastic.”
Cummins backs Warner
Skipper Pat Cummins, who was called “gutless” by Mitchell Johnson last year, said the team had rallied behind the 37-year-old opener.
“I think we protect each other a lot. We have been through a lot over the years. Our boys, I’ve played alongside someone like Davey or Steve (Smith) for a dozen years now. (We are) fiercely protective of each other,” he said.
“It is hard to say (what Mitch’s motivation is). You have to ask Mitch. But there are so many things we should be celebrating about Australian cricket at the moment,” he added.
What did Mitchell Johnson write about David Warner?
In a remarkable outburst against Warner’s selection for the Pakistan series, Johnson dug up the 2018 ball-tampering ‘sandpaper’ gate that had banished Warner, along with Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft, for a year.
“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,” Johnson wrote in Sydney Morning Herald. “As we prepare for David Warner’s farewell series, can somebody please tell me why?
“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? … his past three years in Test cricket have been ordinary, with a batting average closer to what a tail-ender would be happy with … 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?”
