Australia batter David Warner’s manager James Erskine has taken a dig at the former pacer Mitchell Johnson claiming that the Johnson has missed the “logic” of why the veteran opener remains in the Test team. Replying to Mitchell Johnson’s criticism, James Erskine stated that David Warner is still the best openers going around for Australia despite getting retire after the upcoming AUS vs PAK Test series.
Earlier, Mitchell Johnson said that Warner does not deserve a farewell due to his involvement in the ball-tampering during a Test series between Australia and South Africa five years ago.
“Let me tell you, anyone can get a headline. The fact is [Warner’s selection] is just logical,” Erskine told to the Sydney Morning Herald. “The three [replacement] candidates will be [Matthew] Renshaw, [Cameron] Bancroft – who has played pretty well in the Sheffield Shield – and [Marcus] Harris. Now they’ve all had spells opening the batting for Australia.”
Speaking more on the controversy, Erskine stated that he was a bit confused on Johnson’s statement and termed it “a bit sad”.
“Mitchell Johnson was a fine player … and he’s entitled to his opinion. But at the end of the day what surprises me is all these ex-cricketers who basically have a crack at the current lot,” he said on SEN’s Sportsday. “You would never get that happening in golf where Arnold Palmer was criticizing Nick Faldo, or Chrissie Evert having a crack at somebody else who was currently playing (tennis).
He is still the best guy: Warner’s manager
Defending David Warner, his manager said that none of the other opening contenders are near Warner. “My black Labrador could work out who are the contenders to basically take the spot. Cameron Bancroft, there’s Matt Renshaw, there’s Marcus Harris. Collectively they have averages in the mid-20s … David Warner has played 109 Test matches and has a (career) average of 44.4, got over 8500 runs,” said Erskine.
Meanwhile, the AUS vs PAK Test series is slated to from December 14 onwards. The first match of the series will be played in Perth. The final match of the AUS vs PAK Test series which is also Warner’s last Test match will be played from January 3 onwards at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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