Who said what - top 5 reactions to the David Warner-Mitchell Johnson saga ft. Michael Clarke

David Warner and Mitchell Johnson have found themselves in the midst of one of the most heated sagas in cricket this year. Warner had confirmed earlier this year that he would be retiring from Test cricket following the upcoming series against Pakistan.

However, Johnson has criticized the selectors' decision to pick the veteran opener for the first Test, considering his recent form in red-ball cricket.

The former Australian pacer has also raised eyebrows at the fact that a player who was involved in the sandpaper gate scandal is going to receive a grand send-off from Cricket Australia (CA).

Mitchell Johnson wrote in his column for The West Australian:

“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. 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?” he continued.

“Yes, he has a decent overall record and some say is one of our greatest opening bats. But his past three years in Test cricket have been ordinary... 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?” Johnson added.

Let's take a look at Warner's career numbers compared to his recent record in Test cricket. The southpaw has scored 8,487 runs in 109 Tests at an average of 44.43. However, since the start of 2022, he has managed just 936 runs in 20 Tests at a below-par average of 26.74.

The ongoing controversy has drawn a lot of reactions from fans, journalists, current cricketers, and former cricketers.

On that note, here are the top five reactions from past and present Australian players:

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#1 “Maybe there is beef, I don’t know” - Michael Clarke

Michael Clarke was shocked at Mitchell Johnson's criticism of David Warner. The former Australian captain stated that there was no evidence of a beef between Johnson and Warner during his playing days. However, Clarke was quick to add that there was a chance that he missed out on something.

Clarke said on the Big Sports Breakfast (quoted by Fox Cricket):

“In every sporting team. Not everybody gets on. Not everyone is best friends. Dave is a strong character, Mitch is a strong character, (they) went hard at each other in the nets."

"I saw that but I couldn’t sit here and say they had beef against one another when we played. Yeah (that’s why I wonder if) maybe I’ve missed something here ... Mitch hasn’t played for years now so maybe there is beef, I don’t know,” he added.

Clarke was the 2015 World Cup-winning captain for Australia, which included David Warner and Mitchell Johnson as crucial players.

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#2 "Mitchell Johnson has been involved in the setup for a long period of time": Darren Lehmann

Darren Lehmann said that Mitchell Johnson has commented on the David Warner Test retirement situation as a journalist and that it may be viewed differently by different people. He also said that Warner will have to score runs to guarantee his place in the final Test against Pakistan in Sydney.

The former Australian cricketer and coach told RSN 927 in Melbourne (via Fox Cricket):

“He [Johnson] has a bit to say and it has been an interesting 24 to 48 hours … with what has happened behind the scenes. I suppose that is what you have got to do as a journalist sometimes. If you go into that field, you have to have an opinion. He has his thoughts and penned them in a paper and that makes different reading for different people."

“Mitch has been involved in the set up for a long period of time. He sort of knows what is going on. Whether you agree with it or not, it is his opinion and he is entitled to that," he continued.

“Reading between the lines, he has to get some runs, doesn’t he? I think they would like to get him to Sydney and let him retire on his own terms, go out and in his home Test match, but having said that … he has to get some runs to make that happen," Lehmann added.

“Only time will tell. If he gets runs … which will be a tough ask against the Pakistan attack which is pretty good. If he does that and gets there, then good on him. He has had a fantastic career," he signed off.

Lehmann was ironically the Australian coach when the sandpaper gate scandal happened against South Africa in 2018. He resigned from the post following the controversy.

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#3 "I have never seen any beef between them": Brad Haddin

Brad Haddin was surprised when he found out about Mitchell Johnson's column about David Warner. He said that he had never seen any beef between the pair during the time he played with them for the national team.

Haddin also said that he hopes both Mitchell Johnson and David Warner sit down and sort out things between them.

The former Australian wicketkeeper-batter told Fox Cricket:

"I have played with both Mitch (Johnson) and Dave (Warner) and they have won World Cups together, they have won Ashes together, they have gone through some tough conditions side by side. I have never seen any beef between them. So from my point of view, I am a bit lost by where it came from between those two."

"We have had some great memories playing together for Australia. Be it the 2015 World Cup win or the summer of 2014 where we clean swept England at home at the Ashes. It is great to see the way the crowd bounces on the back of your success and enjoys their holidays while seeing you play. I hope when the heat goes out of what's going on, they are able to sit down and sort out what they need to," he added.

Despite being four years older than Johnson and nine years older than Warner, Haddin played quite a lot of cricket with the duo. He was part of the 2015 World Cup-winning squad and also won the famous 2013-14 Ashes, with Johnson playing a huge role in the latter.

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#4 "I'm not going to throw my name into some headlines about this": Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell refused to get drawn into the controversy surrounding Mitchell Johnson's comments on David Warner. Instead, he wanted the Australian fans to celebrate the fact that they are both Test as well as ODI world champions.

“There's a lot of chat around it (the Johnson and Warner saga). But I think coming into this first Test, we've just got to make sure that as Australians we're supporting our team and we're celebrating how successful this team has been over the two-year period of the World Test Championship cycle," he told SEN Radio.

On the aforementioned saga, the all-rounder said:

“I'm not going to throw my name into some headlines about this.”

Maxwell then spoke in support of Warner.

“Davey's been an absolute champion of Australian cricket for a long period of time and the selectors were pretty clear on what they thought of it (selecting him). I'm looking forward to seeing Davey in that first Test and him making a lot of runs this summer," he stated.

Maxwell was one of the star performers of the recent Australian side that won the 2023 World Cup. He was also part of the 2015 World Cup-winning side alongside Warner and Johnson.

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#5 "David Warner and Steve Smith are heroes": Usman Khawaja

Usman Khawaja disagreed with Mitchell Johnson's statements and sided with David Warner and Steve Smith, who were both involved in the ball-tampering controversy.

Khawaja responded to Johnson's comments on Warner, stating:

"Davey Warner and Steve Smith are heroes in my mind. They missed a year of cricket through dark times in Australian cricket but they have paid their dues. No one is perfect. Mitchell Johnson isn't perfect. I am not perfect. Steve Smith is not perfect. David Warner isn't perfect."

"What they have done for the game and to grow the game far outweighs anything else they have done. So for [Johnson] to imply that Dave Warner or anyone else involved in [the] Sandpaper [incident] is not a hero, I strongly disagree with because I believe they have paid their dues," he added.

Khawaja was part of the match against South Africa when the sandpaper scandal happened. He has been one of the linchpins of the Australian Test batting unit over the last decade.