Amid rift between David Warner and Mitchell Johnson, Aussie teammate, former captains react

The focus of social media drama for sports enthusiasts currently centres around Australian cricketers David Warner and Mitchell Johnson. The controversy started when it was disclosed that Warner would be granted a Test farewell after the team's matches against Pakistan. Warner, named in the 14-man squad alongside the recalled fast bowler Lance Morris, is poised to participate in the series starting in Perth later this month. 

Johnson criticized Warner's "hero send-off," reigniting the previously settled Newlands ball-tampering scandal in his recent column for 'The West Australian'. Mitchell Johnson's harsh critique of David Warner swiftly garnered strong reactions from several former and current Australian cricketers. 

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Michael Clarke, Australia's 2015 World Cup-winning captain, shared on 'Big Sports' Breakfast' that there might be an underlying feud between the two, fueling such intense opinions. Reflecting on his playing days, Clarke mentioned that both Warner and Johnson have strong characters and "went hard at each other in the nets." However, he acknowledged that he wasn't in a position to assert whether they had a conflict while playing together.

"Yeah (that’s why I wonder if) maybe I’ve missed something here ... Mitch hasn’t played for years now so maybe there is a beef, I don’t know. When you’re in a role like this ... if you have an opinion and it’s based on what’s best for the team, or your experience, then go with that. But it should never be personal. I try not to make it personal and if it comes across that way you try and apologise for that because you don’t want that.

"In every sporting team. Not everybody gets on. Not everyone is best friends. Dave is a strong character, Mitch is a strong character, (and they) went hard at each other in the nets. I saw that but I couldn’t sit here and say they had beef against one another when we played".

Former Australia Test skipper Tim Paine suggested that there wasn't a harmonious relationship between the two. "I think if you read between the lines, he and Davey Warner don’t get along.

"So it's a bit easier for him to fire a few shots at him. They’re just different people. I have nothing to shed on that. They’re just different. I’m only reading between the lines. Just reading that tells me that they probably don’t get along. But again some of his points about his (Warner’s) stats his position in the team and his getting a little bit of extra time were probably ruined by the personal nature of it.

"And bringing sandpaper back into it. And saying David was a person who used his leadership role for power. I played with David and he certainly didn’t do that," Paine told 'SEN'.

In the meantime, Warner's current opening partner Usman Khawaja stepped in to defend the former. Khawaja opposed Johnson's perspective, stating that both Warner and former captain Steve Smith had contributed significantly to Australian cricket, and their 12-month bans for the 'Sandpaper-gate' incident were sufficient punishment.

"Warner and Smith are heroes in my mind," Khawaja stated, as reported by Reuters in a Monday report.

"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."