Former Australian captain Tim Paine has opined that Mitchell Johnson's latest tirade against David Warner signals they don't get along very well, unlike most other players. Paine also threw his weight behind Warner, claiming that he never used the leadership position for his own powe
Johnson's latest column for The West Australian has gained widespread attention as he has criticised Warner for his 'arrogance' and 'disrespect'. The 42-year-old reignited the veteran opener's involvement in the sandpaper fiasco of 2018 and questioned whether he deserves the kind of grand send-off, with retirement from Tests looming.
Speaking on SEN Radio, the Tasmanian suggested that Johnson's comments against Warner have been a bit over the top and personal.
"I think if you read between the lines, him and Davey Warner clearly 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 and his position in the team and him 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 being a person who used his leadership role for power. I played with David and he certainly didn’t do that."
"Not everyone is best friends" - Michael Clarke
Australia's World Cup-winning skipper Michael Clarke echoed Paine's comments and there was a beef between them, stating in Big Sports' Breakfast:
"In every sporting team. Not everybody gets on. Not everyone is best friends. Dave is a strong character, Mitch is a strong character, (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."
Australia's 1st Test of the summer is against Pakistan, starting on December 14th in Perth.
