- Former fast bowler had wondered why Warner was an automatic selection
- Said a text from his former teammate sparked the column
- Selector George Bailey also flogged for apparently attacking his mental health
Mitchell Johnson has blamed a text message from David Warner for sparking his scathing attack on his former Australian cricket teammate.
An irate Johnson wrote in his column for The West that Warner “has not warranted a hero's farewell” this summer, despite the opening batsman's long and distinguished career.
The comment has opened old wounds between the pair, after Johnson previously called for Warner to be dropped from the Test side during The Ashes, which was held by Australia earlier this year.
Warner plans to retire from Test cricket with a farewell match at the SCG in the New Year match against Pakistan in January.
However, Johnson says Warner does not deserve a staged farewell for his central role in the 2018 sandpaper scandal, which disgraced the name of Australian cricket.
Johnson said a text message from Warner laid the platform for his attack in his column in The West
Warner has made it clear he wants the New Year's Test at the SCG to be his last match for Australia in the long format of the game
Warner and Johnson were teammates, pictured here at a charity day during the 2015 Ashes
However, Johnson revealed that the motivation for his uncompromising column was not just the principle of the issue, but also a sour-toned text message Warner sent his former teammate in April.
“I got a message from Dave, which was quite personal, and I tried to call him and talk to him about it,” Johnson said on The Mitchell Johnson Cricket Show podcast.
'It was never anything personal until that moment. That is what prompted me to write this article, or part of it. It's definitely a factor. Some things he mentioned in that message.
“I won't say because that's up to Dave to say if he wants to talk about it. There were things in there that were extremely disappointing, what he said, and quite bad to be honest. That was quite a driver.'
Johnson doesn't believe Warner deserves a hero send-off for his role in Sandpapergate
Johnson said it was not personal and that he had also written positive columns about Warner in the past
Johnson also took a swipe at chief selector George Bailey in his column, questioning why West Australian fast bowler Lance Morris was rested from the Sheffield Shield matches, and received another text message in return for the former Australian one-day captain.
“He messaged me after the Lance Morris article. It was just a bit condescending. Typical George-esque stuff. If you were receiving at odd hours in the morning, it was disappointing,” Johnson said.
Johnson also doubled down on his attacks on Warner in the podcast.
'It feels like it connects. The selectors have talked about picking guys based on form,” Johnson said.
'If you look at the form of David, because the article is about him. His form in England wasn't great. So you assume that you don't choose someone on a form.
I have also written good articles about David. I've always said that I'm a very different thinker. I am not a traditional cricketer. At a young age I didn't play much. I didn't grow up with it as much as others. I always questioned things and had a different thought process.
“And I was probably outraged when I received a message from him [Bailey] at odd hours in the morning and he didn't show the respect to call. It's pretty much that.'
Johnson was unhappy that George Bailey, the national head of selectors, did not call him and apparently questioned his sanity
Johnson also responded to Bailey's public reaction by saying, “I hope he (Johnson) is doing well.”
Johnson took that response as a manifestation of his previous mental health issues.
'To ask if I'm okay [by George Bailey] “Because I've had mental health issues, I'm downplaying my article and putting it on mental health, which is kind of disgusting,” he said.
'I'm fine. I am not angry. I'm not jealous. I'm just writing a piece that I felt like I had to write.
“It's basically examining someone's mental health and saying there must be something going on, a mental health problem, that makes me say what I said. That's not the truth.