Perth: Ahead of the first Test between Australia and Pakistan in Perth, Cricket Australia (CA) axed former fast bowler Mitchell Johnson from two guest speaking appearances at Optus Stadium in the wake of his explosive column on former teammate David Warner.
“Mitchell is one of Australia’s most celebrated bowlers, but we felt on this occasion it was in everyone’s best interests that he was not the guest speaker at the CA functions,’’ a CA spokesman told News Corp on Tuesday.
Aussie great Mike Hussey reportedly replaced Johnson as the guest speaker at the lunch events.
According to the Herald Sun, Johnson was scheduled for two lunchtime speaking functions at Optus Stadium as Australia took on Pakistan in the first Test of the summer starting on December 14. But CA ditched the plan after the fallout from Johnson’s column in The Sunday Times in early December, in which he criticised Test opener Warner and sensationally declared that he didn’t deserve ‘a hero’s send off’ at the SCG because of his role in Sandpapergate.
In 2018, Warner and Steve Smith were banned for 12 months in the Aussie ball-tampering scandal.
“Does this really warrant a swan song, 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 wrote while questioning the need for a grand farewell despite being inconsistent over the past three years.
He also called the southpaw out for never really owning his role in the ball-tampering saga and attacked coach Andrew McDonald over his “strategy” in squad selection.
Johnson continued with his criticism of Warner despite the opener mustering 164 in the first innings of the opening Test against Pakistan. “On day one of the first Test against Pakistan Warner rode his luck early on — and it could have gone either way — and you take that and he went on to make 164. He did what he was paid to do in the first innings before Saturday’s duck in the second innings. Warner may have denied he cares about criticism of his form, but it definitely does drive him as shown in his performance in the first innings,” Johnson wrote in his latest column for The West Australian.
