In Melbourne, Australia, Usman Khawaja has spoken up in defense of his fellow batsman David Warner after Mitchell Johnson, a former teammate, questioned Warner’s place in the test squad and accused him of not taking full responsibility for the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. Warner has been named in a 14-man squad for the series-opener against Pakistan and has expressed his desire to retire from the longest format after the third test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, his home ground.
Johnson’s column criticized Warner’s form and claimed that he did not deserve his spot in the side or a “hero’s send-off” due to his lack of ownership of his role in the ball-tampering scandal at Newlands.
Khawaja, however, disagreed with Johnson’s assessment, stating that Warner and former captain Steve Smith had already suffered enough with their 12-month bans and had contributed significantly to Australian cricket.
“Warner and Smith are heroes in my mind,” Khawaja told reporters. “They missed a year of cricket through dark times. No one’s perfect. Mitchell Johnson’s not perfect.”
“What they have done for the game – how they have grown the game – far outweighs anything else they have done.
“To say Dave Warner or anyone else involved in sandpaper (gate) is not a hero … I strongly disagree because they have paid their dues. A year out of cricket is a long time.”
Johnson’s column provoked strong reactions in the Australian media and drew criticism from local sports pundits.
Former test captain Tim Paine, however, acknowledged that Johnson made some “great points” about Warner’s form but also highlighted Warner’s status as one of the all-time greats.
“David hasn’t been playing well and would other people be getting the run he’s getting now? Probably not,” Paine said. “But in my opinion, he’s got credits in the bank 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.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
