The text message that sparked Aussie cricket spat

Former Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson says a “pretty bad” text message from David Warner is what sparked a critical column he wrote about the opening batsman wanting a home farewell test.

Warner publicly announced his hopes of finishing his test career in Sydney in early January in what would be the third and final test of the series against Pakistan.

Penning a column for the West Australian, Warner’s former Australian teammate Johnson took issue with the opener getting a farewell tour given his struggles at the crease in recent times, re-opening old wounds such as Warner’s role in the “Sandpapergate” ball-tampering scandal of 2018. Warner received a 12-month ban for his role in the scandal.

“As we prepare for David Warner’s farewell series, can somebody please tell me why?” Johnson wrote. “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?

“Although Warner wasn’t alone in Sandpapergate, he was at the time a senior member of the team and someone who liked to use his perceived power as a ‘leader’,” Johnson wrote. “Now, the way he is going out is underpinned by more of the same arrogance and disrespect to our country.”

Johnson has revealed on his podcast that a text message from Warner earlier this year sparked the attack.

“I got a message from Dave, which was quite personal,” Johnson said on his regular podcast, The Mitchell Johnson Cricket Show. “I tried to ring to try and talk to him about it, which I’ve always been open to. I know I’ve been open to the guys when I finished playing. I said if I’m in the media and writing things or saying things that you don’t like, just come and speak to me.

“It was never a personal thing then until this point. This is probably what drove me to write the article as well, part of it. It was definitely a factor. Some of the stuff that was said in that, I won’t say it. I think that’s up to Dave to say it if he wants to talk about it. There was some stuff in there that was extremely disappointing, what he said, and pretty bad to be honest.”

Warner was handed the chance of a potential farewell at the Sydney Cricket Ground after being named in Australia’s squad for the test series.

The squad named Sunday, which includes the 37-year-old opener, is only for the first test at Perth from December 14-19.

If he holds his place for the second test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground starting on Boxing Day, Warner will be in line for his dream farewell on his home ground in Sydney from January 3-7.

Warner’s recent test form has been mixed, and he has averaged 28 in test matches since the summer of 2019 when he made a triple century against Pakistan at Adelaide. He has made clear his wish to end his Baggy Green career at Sydney while continuing to play for Australia in white-ball cricket.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission