'Did What He Was Paid To Do'- Mitchell Johnson Takes Fresh Jibe At David Warner
Warner smashed a scintillating ton in 1st innings of Perth Test [X.com]
Heading into the ongoing Benaud–Qadir Trophy 2023-24, David Warner faced intense criticism from former Australian teammate Mitchell Johnson, who many found uncalled for.
Warner remained quiet amidst all the chatter and went on to slam his 26th Test ton at Perth in the first match against Pakistan, shutting down several of his critics.
However, Johnson, who did radio commentary during the Test, took another jibe at Warner, stating that the opener did nothing extraordinary.
Writing in his column for West Australian, the former 2015 World Cup winner alongside Warner went to justify his comments on the soon-to-retire opener.
The 37-year-old has already announced that the upcoming Sydney Test against Pakistan will be his final appearance in whites for Australia, having made his debut in 2011.
Here's what Johnson wrote
"On day one of the first Test against Pakistan Warner rode his luck early on - and it could have gone either way - and you take that and he went on to make 164. He did what he was paid to do in the first innings before Saturday's duck in the second innings. I think my opinion in this column a couple of weeks ago is still valid. He hadn't scored runs in about three years apart from the double century last summer."
"Another point made was that a soft summer like this, with Australia expected to comfortably beat Pakistan and the West Indies, was the perfect time to look at blooding some new players into an ageing team. They could have given some new guys some really good time out in the middle this summer and backed them in. That's going to be much harder across the next two summers when India and England visit for five-Test series."
Pat Cummins and Co. head into the second Test at Melbourne with a 1-0 lead and will look to win the encounter, attaining an unassailable 2-0 margin.
 "Vishal Mehra")