Decorated Aussie opener David Warner decides against responding publicly to Mitchell Johnson’s remarks against his retirement plan. Test captain Pat Cummins also came in his support, saying everyone in the team has been protective about each other, knowing what all the team and some players have gone through in recent times.

Since the summer of 2020-21, Warner has scored just one three-digit score in 25 Tests – a memorable double hundred against South Africa at his home ground in Sydney on his 100th Test last summer. Though he had been among runs in the white-ball format, particularly shining during the recently-concluded 2023 World Cup, the opener has struggled to get going against the moving ball in England during the Ashes.

Meanwhile, upon announcing that the SCG Test against Pakistan in January 2024 will be his last in this format, Warner’s former teammate Mitchell Johnson hit back at him for being given leverage to decide his farewell series. 

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Writing for The West Australian over the past weekend, Johnson took a scathing attack on Warner and the chief selector George Bailey for picking him for the home summer despite the lean patch. To make things worse, Johnson picked up the infamous ‘sandpaper gate’ episode involving Warner and two others, adding he is yet to own up to that.

“It wouldn’t be a summer without a headline, would it?” Cummins said at the launch of Fox Cricket’s summer coverage in Parramatta on Friday. 

“It is what it is. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinions. Moving forward, we’re looking forward to a nice Test over in the west,” he added.

Cummins backed Warner over retaining his place in the Test side for the first Test, starting in Perth on December 14.

“I think we protect each other a lot,” Cummins said. “We’ve been through a lot over the years, our boys. Someone like Davey or Steve [Smith], I’ve played with them for a dozen years now, so we’re fiercely protective of each other.

“Sometimes you’ve got to remind yourself of the amount of positive support that is out there.”

Warner responds to Johnson’s comments

Without paying too much attention to what has been said about him and his form lately, Warner said,

“My parents ingrained that into me,” he said. “They taught me every day to fight and work hard. When you go onto the world stage, and you don’t realise what comes with that, it’s a lot of media, a lot of criticism but a lot of positive.

“I think what’s more important is what you see here today, the people coming out to support cricket,” the veteran opener added.

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