Former Australia cricketer Brad Haddin has slammed Mitchell Johnson for an “aggressive attack” on David Warner.
Earlier, Johnson questioned David Warner’s farewell Test series against Pakistan citing ‘hero send-off’ to which Johnson received a “pretty bad” text message from Warner.
“Mitch’s summary of it was a bit odd and left field. I don’t mind past players saying, ‘OK, this is why I wouldn’t have him in the team, this is what I’d look at’. It looked like a bit of an aggressive attack on Davey’s personality, which I don’t think you need,” Brad Haddin told the Willow Talk podcast.
Johnson expressed his disapproval in a column for The West Australian, questioning over why the left-handed opener is getting a hero’s send-off while still now owning up his role in the infamous 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
Warner had earlier said about his wish to end his Test career when Australia faced Pakistan in the third and final game of the series at the SCG in January 2024. On Sunday, Warner was named in Australia’s 14-player squad for the first Test against Pakistan at the Optus Stadium in Perth, beginning on December 14.
“Yes, you can have an opinion on what you think the team should be, but I don’t like when past players go really hard in a personal angle to the players and it felt a little bit like that to me. Everyone’s entitled to their opinions on selections. He attacked David and George on levels you don’t want to see anywhere, to be honest. It left a bit of a bad taste in a few people’s mouths, I think,” Haddin added.
In this year’s Ashes, Warner made only 285 runs at an average of 28.50 in five Tests. His Test average stands at 44.43, but has only averaged 31.79 since the start of 2020. Johnson also took an aim over Warner’s poor recent form in Tests, as well as on chief selector George Bailey.
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