Alyssa Healy highlights truth about Mitchell Johnson amid ugly beef with David Warner
The nasty situation has come about on the eve of the Australian summer of cricket.
Alyssa Healy has highlighted how Mitchell Johnson's attack on David Warner and George Bailey has put Australian cricket in a bad light just days after the World Cup triumph. Johnson launched an extraordinary broadside at Warner last weekend, saying he didn't even deserve to be in the Test team let alone get the farewell he desires at the SCG this summer.
The fast-bowling great said Warner still hadn't taken full responsibility for his role in the sandpaper scandal of 2018, and suggested chief selector Bailey was too close to the situation considering he only recently retired from playing. Despite the fact Johnson was discussing Warner's place in the Test team, the explosive comments have taken the focus off the current series against Pakistan - which kicks off next Thursday in Perth.
BRUTAL: Mitchell Johnson in commentary fallout as Candice Warner responds
'NOT THE TRUTH': Johnson rips 'disgusting' response from George Bailey
As Healy pointed out on Tuesday, the fighting between former teammates has given Australian cricket a bit of a black eye that it didn't need. “They played together, they’re mates, they’ve been mates for well over 15 years, played a lot of cricket," she said on the Willow Talk podcast.
“Then to go bang, really hard on a personal note, there’s obviously some scars there. He’s entitled to his opinion, but for me it makes cricket look a little negative, and I’m not a huge fan of that.”
Brad Haddin weighs in on Mitchell Johnson situation
Healy is close to the situation considering she is married to Mitchell Starc, and has been in the inner sanctum during games in which Warner and Johnson both played. On the same podcast, fellow former teammate Brad Haddin said Johnson had taken things too far.
Johnson has previously hit out at Candice Warner's "cringe" defence of her husband's place in the Test team, while also branding the current playing group "gutless" for the way in which Justin Langer departed as head coach.
“Mitch’s summary of it was a bit odd and left field," said Haddin, who played with Warner and Johnson. “I don’t mind past players saying - okay, this is why I wouldn’t have him in the team, this is what I’d look at... but it looked like a bit of an aggressive attack on Davey’s personality, which I don’t think you need.
"You can have an opinion on what you think the team should be, but I don’t like when past players go really hard in a personal angle to the players and it felt a little bit like that to me. He attacked David and George [Bailey] on levels you don’t want to see anywhere, to be honest. It left a bit of a bad taste in a few people’s mouths."
Mitchell Johnson reveals why he swiped David Warner
Johnson revealed on Monday that his latest swipe was sparked by a 'disrespectful' text message he received from Warner in response to his comments about Candice earlier this year. Warner didn't take kindly to Johnson's swipe and sent his former teammate a text that Johnson said was "pretty bad".
He also revealed that his swipe at Bailey was in response to a text he got from the chief selector in response to a column he wrote about Lance Morris. Johnson questioned why Cricket Australia was insistent on resting young fast bowlers like Morris, which Bailey didn't like.
"I probably was set off by receiving a message from him (Bailey) at odd hours in the morning and him not showing the respect to make a phone call. That’s pretty much that," Johnson revealed. “The thing I struggle with the most is not having those phone calls. I would have preferred to have a conversation with those guys, face-to-face. The best way to do it. To get those messages I felt it was disrespectful."
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