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Former Australian cricketer Brad Haddin has taken issue with Mitchell Johnson’s recent criticism of David Warner, labeling it as an “aggressive attack” on the veteran opener’s personality. Johnson had questioned Warner’s farewell Test series against Pakistan, prompting a spirited response from Warner in the form of a “pretty bad” text message to Johnson.
Speaking on the Willow Talk podcast, Haddin expressed his disagreement with Johnson’s approach, saying, “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.”
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In a column for The West Australian, Johnson had raised concerns about Warner receiving a ‘hero’s send-off’ despite his involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. Warner, expressing his desire to end his Test career in the series against Pakistan, was named in Australia’s 14-player squad for the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth, starting on December 14.
Haddin defended the right to have opinions on team selections but criticized Johnson for launching a personal attack on Warner and chief selector George Bailey. “Yes, you can have an opinion on what you think the team should be, but I don’t like when past players go hard on a personal angle to the players, and it felt a little bit like that to me.”
Warner’s recent form has been a topic of discussion, especially after a challenging Ashes series where he scored 285 runs at an average of 28.50. Despite his overall Test average standing at 44.43, since the beginning of 2020, Warner has averaged 31.79. Johnson also aimed Warner’s recent struggles and criticized chief selector George Bailey.
