‘Same arrogance and disrespect': Mitchell Johnson slams David Warner, Usman Khawaja defends his 'hero'

Australia’s batter Usman Khawaja has defended David Warner after former teammate Mitchell Johnson, questioned Warner’s place in the test squad and even suggested that the left-hander had never really taken responsibility for the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. Warner, included in a 14-man squad for the series-opener against Pakistan, had already said that wanted to retire from Test cricket after the third test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, his home ground.

Johnson, in a column, was not too happy with this entire episode. He said that the 37-year-old opener didn’t merit his place in the side based on his recent Test form and didn’t deserve a “hero’s send-off” because he had “never really owned” his role in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal.

Also read: Australia keep faith with David Warner for first Pakistan Test

“It’s been five years and David Warner has still never really owned the ball-tampering scandal,” Johnson wrote in his column for The West Australian . “Now the way he is going out is underpinned by more of the same arrogance and disrespect to our country.

“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.

Johnson also took aim at Australia chief selector George Bailey for how David Warner has been handled by the selection panel. He accused Bailey of being too close to the players and drew parallels between Warner’s situation and also the conflict-of-interest that Bailey faced when Tim Paine’s career concluded.

“The handling of Warner in recent years, who played with Bailey in all three forms, raises the question of whether Bailey was simply too quickly out of playing and into the job and too close to some of the players,” Johnson wrote.

However, now Khawaja has taken a stance for Warner and even countered Johnson’s perspective. Khawaja said that Warner and former captain Steve Smith had contributed significantly to Australian cricket, and their 12-month bans for the ‘Sandpaper-gate’ incident were sufficient punishment.

“Warner and Smith are heroes in my mind,” Khawaja told reporters on Monday.

“They missed a year of cricket through dark times. No one’s perfect. Mitchell Johnson’s not perfect.

“What they have done for the game – how they have grown the game – far outweighs anything else they have done.

“To say Dave Warner or anyone else involved in sandpaper (gate) is not a hero … I strongly disagree because they have paid their dues. A year out of cricket is a long time.”