Home Australia Why cricket teammates turned bitter enemies David Warner and Mitchell Johnson are on a collision course

Why cricket teammates turned bitter enemies David Warner and Mitchell Johnson are on a collision course

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They were once teammates in Australia, but now David Warner (right) and Mitchell Johnson are set for an awkward reunion in Perth during the first Test against India next month.
  • They will meet in Perth next month at the Optus Stadium
  • Both in the comments, Warner signed with Fox Cricket
  • Johnson is with Triple M, will cover the first test against India

Once cricket teammates in Australia, but now bitter enemies David Warner and Mitchell Johnson are set for an awkward reunion in Perth during the first Test against India next month.

Despite not being listed on Triple M this week as part of its broadcasting team, the former pacer, who snared 313 Test wickets in his career, is expected to call the action live in his home state.

Johnson is likely to cross paths with Warner, who has signed on as a commentator for Fox Cricket as he juggles his Big Bash commitments with Sydney Thunder this summer.

The pair will be avoided when Pakistan are in Perth on November 10 for an ODI clash against Australia as Johnson has a prior commitment.

Their dispute, which dates back some years, was reignited in December last year when Johnson insisted that Warner did not “warrant a heroic dismissal” against Pakistan as his Test career came to an end.

Early last year, the former fast bowler also called for Warner to be removed from Australia’s Ashes tour, sparking a war of words with Candice Warner.

She responded to Johnson by saying his opinions were irrelevant and “don’t have much merit.”

Warner, who recently stated that he would be “open” to returning to the Test XI if necessary, responded emphatically with a century against Pakistan in Perth last December.

They were once teammates in Australia, but now David Warner (right) and Mitchell Johnson are set for an awkward reunion in Perth during the first Test against India next month.

Johnson, who works for Triple M, will likely cross paths with Warner, who has signed on as a commentator for Fox Cricket.

Johnson, who works for Triple M, will likely cross paths with Warner, who has signed as a commentator for Fox Cricket.

His wild celebration after reaching three figures was believed to have been aimed primarily at Johnson.

‘You (the media) saw what it was. “It was a nice quiet silence,” Warner said at the time.

“Anyone who wants to write stories about me and try to use headlines, get headlines, that stuff doesn’t bother me.”

‘I go out and do what I have to do. And I can celebrate it however I want.’

Johnson later expressed regret over his falling out with Warner when it came to bringing up the Cape Town sandpaper scandal in 2018 in one of his newspaper columns.

Warner and then-captain Steve Smith (both 12 months) plus Cameron Bancroft (nine months) were subsequently suspended by Cricket Australia, and it could be argued that the sporting public has yet to forgive the polarizing star.

“There’s one thing I wasn’t so happy with,” Johnson said during an episode of his podcast, The Mitchell Johnson Cricket Show.

‘I was reading an article and I just followed it. The ‘Bunnings’ and ‘sandpaper’ part. Probably unpleasant. That was probably something that didn’t need to be said.

‘The reason it (the sandpaper scandal) came up is that I just don’t look at the statistics… I look at the bigger picture. And I’m not trying to bring up that old stuff.

‘But for someone (Warner) to say goodbye and be in that position that he was in… after what they did back then, that didn’t sit well with me. That’s why I mentioned it.

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