Mitchell Johnson reasserted his opinion on David Warner, stating that despite Warner’s recent century in Perth, his previous assessment remains valid due to Warner’s lack of consistent runs.

The ongoing Australia-Pakistan Test series stirred a fiery debate ignited by Mitchell Johnson’s column questioning David Warner’s hero’s farewell amid a form slump. Despite Warner’s announced retirement post-series, Johnson contends that considering Warner’s lackluster performance over the past three years, it would’ve made more sense to provide younger talents game time against expectedly weaker opponents.

READ MORE | David Warner’s Manager Hits Back at Mitchell Johnson’s Critical Remarks

“I think my opinion in this column a couple of weeks ago is still valid. He hadn’t scored runs in about three years apart from the double century last summer. Another point made was that a soft summer like this, with Australia expected to comfortably beat Pakistan and the West Indies, was the perfect time to look at blooding some new players into an ageing team,” Johnson wrote in his column in the West Australian.

“They could have given some new guys some really good time out in the middle this summer and backed them in. That’s going to be much harder across the next two summers when India and England visit for five-Test series. It seems they’ve got their own plans in place for selection and how they see things. But they are going to be confronted by a changing of the guard at some point soon,” he added.

Johnson also highlighted Warner’s response to criticism, asserting Warner never fully acknowledged his role in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. Despite Warner’s dismissal of criticism, his blistering century during the first Test was no shock to Johnson, who observed the match as a commentator. He further suggested Warner thrives when under pressure, showing resilience on home turf.

“David Warner’s century on the first day of the Australian Test summer was no great surprise in some ways. There was a big media spotlight on Warner and his form and he seems to be at his most motivated when backed into a corner and he generally saves his best for home soil. On day one 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 concluded.

READ MORE | Resolute David Warner Returns: Perth Century Echoes Reply to Critics in Farewell Test Series

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Last Updated on December 17, 2023

Senior Sports Copywriter