Mitchell Johnson has doubled down on his thoughts surrounding David Warner and George Bailey that has sent the cricketing world into a frenzy on the eve of the Test summer.
Warner had previously stated he hopes to play the three Tests against Pakistan and retire in Sydney. Johnson’s column, published in the West Australian on Sunday morning, questioned why the veteran opener gets to pick his retirement date despite a lean run of form with the bat in red-ball cricket.
Johnson also brought the sandpaper debacle back to the fore before hitting out at chairman of selector Bailey over his role in keeping Warner in the Test side, among other decisions.
It’s a piece that has attracted a response from Bailey, who said: “I’ve been sent little snippets of it (the article)... I hope he’s ok.”
Warner’s manager James Erskine has also weighed in, as has former Australia captain Tim Paine.
After rocking the cricketing world, Johnson has now replied. As to Bailey’s response, the former fast bowler slammed what he described as a “disgusting” reply.
“(For Bailey) to ask if I’m OK because I’ve had mental health issues is pretty much downplaying my article and putting it on mental health, which is quite disgusting I think,” Johnson said on The Mitchell Johnson Cricket Show, via Seven.
“I’m fine; I’m not angry, I’m not jealous — I’m just writing a piece that for me I felt like I needed to write.
“It’s basically having a dig at someone’s mental health and saying that I must have something going on (and that) a mental health issue has made me say what I’ve said. That’s not the truth.
“That’s completely the opposite. I’m actually clear-minded.
“It sort of tries to downplay the questions that I’ve asked in that article. It seems very childish from George and condescending.”
Johnson also revealed that the motivation to pen his controversial column came in May, soon after a separate column he’d written on Warner that described his wife Candice’s public support for her husband as “cringey”.
“It was around the time that Candice had said on (TV show) The Back Page about there not being openers good enough to take his position. That’s when I responded,” Johnson explained.
“And I got a message from Dave, which was quite personal and I tried to ring him to talk to him about it, which I’ve always been open about with the guys.
“It was never a personal thing then — until that point (of the text message).
“That is what prompted me to write the article or part of it as well. It (was) definitely a factor.
“Some of the things that he mentioned in that message... I won’t say it because that’s up to Dave to say, if he wants to talk about it (he can). There was some stuff in there which was extremely disappointing what he said and pretty bad, to be honest. That sort of was a bit of a driver.
“And a bit with George as well. He’d sent me a message after the Lance Morris article (about Morris being rested in a Sheffield Shield game). It was just a bit condescending.
“When you receive at odd hours in the morning, it was disappointing.”
However, Johnson does admit that one part of his article became “distasteful”.
In remembering how fans brought red hankies to wave in Steve Waugh’s retirement, Johnson pondered what the crowd would bring for Warner.
“Bunnings would sell out of sandpaper,” he wrote.
It’s a line he regrets.
“There is one thing I wasn’t that happy with — I didn’t notice it at the time. I was reading the article and just sort of went with it. The ‘Bunnings’ and the ‘sandpaper’ part of it. Probably distasteful,” he said.
“That was probably something that didn’t need to be said.”
Johnson's opinion has largely been savaged in public commentary, although Paine did note that the ex-left arm quick “raised some pretty valid points”.
Following Johnson’s column on Sunday, Warner was selected in Australia’s Test squad for Pakistan later that day and will be given at least the first Test in Perth to stamp his authority for the summer.
