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The latest development to the ongoing tension which cropped up because of a derogatory article written by Zimbabwean journalist Robson Sharuko has seen John Mooney himself take to social media to come out with a response.
Ireland unhappy with article
After Sharuko resorted to taking a dig at John Mooney about his struggle with alcoholism in the past, both Cricket Ireland (CI) and Irish fans felt provoked and criticised the journalist heavily.
Seeking to put an end to this controversy, Irish bowling all-rounder John Mooney posted on his Facebook page: “Thank you for all your support, that man's article means absolutely nothing to me, my only concern is beating Pakistan on Sunday.”
He further commented: “The main thing that gets to me about his article is that it might prevent somebody from getting the help they need in the future. I don't want people to see this terrible article and say 'oh I'm not telling anyone, people will slag me off, or my name will be tarnished’.”
Soon after the spiteful article was published on the Zimbabwe Herald on Monday, Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwe’s stand-in captain, tweeted an apology on behalf of his team.
Mooney, for his part, said: “Last night I texted Brendan Taylor to thank him and his team for their apology. They are great blokes and they didn't have to do that, because I know the man who wrote that article does not represent their team.”
Mooney concentrating on Pakistan match
Last year in a press meet, Mooney had shared about how he fought depression and alcohol abuse, which triggered the cricket editor of Zimbabwe Herald to come up with an article with the headline ‘Alcoholic dumps Zim out of WC’ after Mooney took a contentious catch in last Sunday’s match against Zimbabwe.
Ireland face Pakistan on Sunday at the Adelaide Oval which is a do-or-die contest for the European side to book a quarter-final berth.
"We have some good time to get ready for what will be the biggest game in the history of Irish cricket," Mooney wrote.
