Usman Khawaja, Australia’s batsman, has defended David Warner vehemently after former teammate Mitchell Johnson questioned his place in the test squad and claimed he had not accepted full responsibility for the 2018 ball-tampering controversy.
Warner, who has been nominated to a 14-man team for the series opener against Pakistan, has made no secret of his desire to retire from the longest format after the third test at his home ground of Sydney Cricket Ground.
In a commentary, Johnson stated that the 37-year-old opener did not deserve his spot in the side based on form, nor did he deserve a “hero’s send-off” because he “never really owned” his role in the Newlands ball-tampering controversy.
Khawaja disagreed with Johnson, claiming that Warner and former captain Steve Smith had done enough for Australian cricket and that their 12-month bans for ‘Sandpaper-gate’ were sufficient punishment.
“Warner and Smith are heroes in my mind,” Khawaja said to reporters on Monday.
“They missed a year of cricket due to difficult circumstances.” Nobody is perfect. Mitchell Johnson is not without flaws.
“What they’ve done for the game, how they’ve grown the game, far outweighs everything else they’ve done.”
“To say Dave Warner or anyone else involved in the Sandpaper (gate) scandal is not a hero… I strongly disagree because they have fulfilled their obligations. A year away from cricket is a long time.”
Former fast bowler Johnson’s editorial sparked outrage in Australian media on Monday, as well as condemnation from some local sports analysts.
Former test captain Tim Paine, on the other hand, said Johnson made some “great points” regarding Warner’s form.
“David hasn’t been playing well, and would other players be getting the run he is now?” “Probably not,” Paine remarked on SEN radio.
“But, in my opinion, he has bank credits because he is one of the all-time greats.”
“I think you can read between the lines that (Johnson) and Davey don’t get along.”