David Warner ripped apart by Mitchell Johnson in scathing attack: 'Why hero's send-off to struggling opener?'

David Warner, who is gearing up to play his final Test series starting December 14 against Pakistan, faced a scathing attack from his former teammate Mitchell Johnson. In his column for The Western Australia, Johnson came tearing into Warner and questioned why the 37-year-old was getting a hero's send-off.

Mitchell Johnson pointed out David Warner's role in the 2017 ball-tampering scandal which rocked Australia cricket. He said that the batter hasn't yet taken responsibility for "one of the biggest scandals" which brought shame to Australian cricket.

The former pacer also called Warner a "struggling Test opener" not worthy of choosing his own farewell. Notably, Warner is averaging 26.74 in his last 36 Test innings. The southpaw also struggled in Ashes 2023, scoring 285 runs at an average of 28.50 across the five Tests.

“It’s been five years and Warner has still never really owned the ball-tampering scandal. Now the way he is going out is underpinned by more of the same arrogance and disrespect to our country," Johnson wrote.

"As we prepare for David Warner's farewell series, can somebody please tell me why? Why a struggling Test opener gets to nominate his own retirement date? And why a player at the center of one of the biggest scandals in Australian cricket history warrants a hero's send-off?

"It's the ball-tampering disgrace in South Africa that many will never forget. Although Warner wasn't alone in Sandpaper Gate, he was at the time a senior member of the team and someone who liked to use his perceived power as a 'leader'.

"Does this really warrant a swansong, a last hurrah against Pakistan that was forecast a year in advance as if he was bigger than the game and the Australian cricket team?" Johnson added.

Mitchell Johnson also lashed out at Australia chief selector George Bailey. He accused him of favouritism, also mentioning Tim Paine who was involved in a sexting scandal that was made public in 2021.

"When then-captain Tim Paine's career was ending over the sexting controversy, chairman of selectors George Bailey said he didn't want to be part of deciding Paine's fate because the pair were close friends," Johnson said.

"Bailey said he would leave it to then coach Justin Langer and fellow selector Tony Dodemaide to work it out. The handling of Warner in recent years, who played with Bailey in all three forms, raises the question of whether Bailey was simply too quickly out of playing and into the job and too close to some of the players," Mitchell Johnson wrote.

David Warner recently won the ODI World Cup 2023 with Australia and expressed his intention to feature in the upcoming World Cup 2024 in West Indies and the USA.