Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, who has led Mitchell Johnson and David Warner during his captaincy time, wishes to serve as the mediator between both players. Earlier, the former Australian bowler slammed Warner viciously in his column for Western Australia.
Mitchell Johnson questioned why a player involved in one of Australia’s biggest scandals should be given a hero’s farewell from the sport as the left-handed opener prepares for the final test series to be played at home and also made a scathing attack ahead of the Pakistan series, which defames his personality.
Speaking on Sunrise, Ricky Ponting wishes to be a mediator between them at some stage and wants both players to have conservation in the room rather than the media. He recalled the verbal spat between Warner and Johnson that was the catalyst for his selection in the 2023 Ashes series and requested them to seek out the conflict between them.
“I have to get in between these two guys at some stage. I think I need to be the mediator and get them both in a room and let them have it out rather than playing it out in the media. They’re both pretty feisty characters and we know this issue that’s come up now goes back six or eight months, back to the Ashes selection.”
“That’s where it all started. It sounds like an issue that’s gone on without either of them sitting down and having a face-to-face conversation. I’d like to see that happen,” Ricky Ponting said.
Mitchell Johnson lambasted David Warner for his role in the infamous ball-tampering incident, for which he was sentenced to a one-year ban from the game. The left-handed opener has scored over 8,400 runs at an average of 44.43 in 109 games and he would be keen to end his Test career on a high in front of his home crowd.
David Warner Made It Clear He Wants To Finish Off In Sydney – Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting believes David Warner has made no message other than his desire to play his final series against Pakistan in front of his home fans in Sydney.
“He is not the one that’s coming out saying all this stuff about a farewell tour, he just wants to do line up next week in Perth in that Test match and score some runs and he’s made it clear he wants to finish off in Sydney,” Ricky Ponting added.
He stated earlier this year, prior to the WTC final, that he intended to retire from Test cricket and focus on white-ball cricket. David Warner has announced his intention to play the New Year’s Test in Sydney to cap off his Test career.