Mitchell Johnson slammed for his ‘gutless’ attack on Australia captain Pat Cummins
Mitchell Johnson has been slammed for turning on his former teammate Pat Cummins, calling the captain disrespectful and “gutless”. Did he go too far?
Cricket
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Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley has lashed Mitchell Johnson over an extraordinary attack where the Test great branded former teammate Pat Cummins “gutless”.
Hockley launched a strident defence of Cummins, who stands alongside Ash Barty as arguably the most universally respected athlete in Australian sport, and has never before been the target of public criticism.
Former Test captain Mark Taylor said a divide had broken out between ex-players and the current team in the wake of Justin Langer’s brutal demise as Australian coach – but the tensions took a particularly ugly turn with Johnson savaging Cummins in a newspaper column.
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Johnson was the first man to embrace Cummins when he hit the winning runs on the teenage prodigy’s Test debut in 2011, before the two fast bowling powerhouses shared a podium together at the MCG when Australia won the 2015 World Cup.
In a stunning column for The West Australian, Johnson turned on his former brother-in-arms, declaring Cummins had “failed his first big test as captain pretty miserably” and had been disrespectful and “gutless” in his public comments about Langer and his future.
As emotions run high across the game, Hockley says criticism of the Test captain’s role in Cricket Australia’s highly controversial decision to move on from Langer is “unfair”.
‘I APOLOGISE’: Justin Langer’s letter of resignation revealed
“I thought that Mitchell Johnson’s comments were unfair and not merited or reflective of the situation,” Hockley told News Corp.
“I think any criticism of Pat through this process is entirely unfair.
“I think throughout the process, Pat has been very respectful (of Langer) and he’s also been very respectful of the private and confidential discussions we’ve had as we’ve consulted really broadly.
“Pat was certainly consulted … but his feedback was one of a broad amount of consultation.
“I think for Mitchell to be critical of Pat (is unfair) and any direct criticism of Pat is not merited.”
Player sources feel Cricket Australia have let Cummins down by dragging out a decision on Langer until three weeks after the final Test of the summer.
Hockley defended Cricket Australia’s handling of the saga that has cast a shadow over the men’s team for the best part of 12 months.
“There has been some discussion about did we let this … has it dragged out. But I would say emphatically that we needed to make sure that with big decisions like this, that we run a thorough process,” said Hockley.
“If we tried to do it during the Ashes it would have been a big distraction and we wouldn’t have been able to do it properly.
“While it’s not necessarily a popular decision, we feel that a transition to the next phase is in the best interests of the team and of Australian cricket.”
Former CA board member Taylor admitted to Channel Nine that there is now a schism between current players and the old boys.
“The problem at the moment is the current crop of players are creating a divide between them and the older players,” Taylor told Nine’s Today.
“Ricky Ponting’s not happy, Steve Waugh’s not happy, I’m not happy, none of us are happy because of the way the game has been dragged through the mud.
“People like Justin Langer, who has just gone into the Hall of Fame, has been dragged through the mud. That disappoints us all.
“The players have to be careful in that regard that they don‘t isolate the rest of us from jobs like this.”
Hockley strongly denied Cricket Australia had been bullied by its playing group and also refuted suggestions the six month extension offered to Langer was a mechanism designed to make him quit rather than the organisation having to sack him.
“Absolutely, it was not designed to force Justin to move aside in any way shape or form. It was very well intentioned to best enable a period of transition but also provide JL with further opportunities and to complete the end of his tenure on a real high,” he said.
“I’d completely refute (CA bullied by players). We consulted the players of course, but we’ve consulted much more broadly.”
Fox Cricket lead commentator Adam Gilchrist joined the throng of ex-players bemoaning Cricket Australia’s handling of Langer – a man who was inducted into the game’s hall of fame just last week.
“Still can’t get over what a pathetic day for Australian Cricket yesterday was,” he tweeted.
Why CA board decided Langer had to go
Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley admits Justin Langer’s presence as coach had caused disunity within the team, prompting the board to decide unanimously to plot his exit.
On a hugely damaging day for the game, cricket powerbrokers copped it from ex-greats led by Ricky Ponting for their “embarrassing” treatment of a man they last week inducted into the hall of fame.
Former Australian coach Mickey Arthur lashed CA chiefs as “disgraceful” and cowardly for offering Langer an insulting six month extension rather than having the gumption to simply move him on after a summer where he had guided the team to a World Cup and an Ashes triumph.
Langer refused questions upon his arrival back in his home town of Perth, as under-fire CEO Hockley tried to justify why CA would “transition” out a coach described in the same press conference as “outstanding.”
Hockley made the stunning admission that Langer’s departure was needed for team unity but denied player power had got out of control.
“The decision to start a process of transition is what we believe is in the best interests of the men’s team for unity and future success,” said Hockley.
“ … In the middle of last year, we did have some challenging conversations and some issues and I think credit to absolutely everybody throughout the national team set up for having some really robust and direct conversations.
“ … No (I don’t think too much power has been ceded to players). We’ve got some exceptional leaders across the Australian men’s team – the Test and white ball squads.
“We’ve got leaders across the national selection panel, across the coaching group and we have consulted them and our review has been really broad in terms of the stakeholders we’ve spoken to.
“The needs analysis and the requirements of the head coach have evolved and on that basis we felt it was time to start a transition process – hence the shorter term contract.”
Hockley said Test captain Pat Cummins and white ball skipper Aaron Finch had input but was not the only voice consulted in the process of deciding that Langer should be phased out.
“We certainly consulted Pat, we spoke to Aaron but we consulted much more broadly than that,” he said.
Hockley said CA was “disappointed” Langer didn’t accept its offer of an extension.
Arthur – who was sacked by Australia for Darren Lehmann in 2013 – said the token six month extension was a disgrace.
“Disgraceful way to treat a coach … offering six months is a slap in the face,” tweeted Arthur.
“Either give him a proper extension or move on. By offering six months you effectively say you don’t want him but don’t have the balls to fire the bullet!”
There are suggestions that Cricket Australia’s head of team performance Ben Oliver proposed a longer extension for Langer, but Hockley wanted to recommend to the board the shorter option.
Disgraceful way to treat a coach... offering 6 months is a slap in the face!
— Mickey Arthur (@Mickeyarthurcr1) February 5, 2022
Either give him a proper extension or move on, by offering 6 months you effectively say you don't want him but don't have the balls to fire the bullet! #coachesunionhttps://t.co/UjB3aykvxr
Hockley said in the end their decision – and the board’s acceptance of it – was unanimous.
“Ben and I have obviously spent a long time working through and discussing,” he said.
“It has been a difficult decision and it was a very lengthy discussion at the board. But ultimately there was a consensus that this was the right way forward and the board was unanimous in endorsing the approach. Equally, it can’t be understated what JL has achieved.”
Langer’s ex-teammates – and some of the most respected voices in the game – Ponting, Matt Hayden and Mitchell Johnson led the outcry and rage at Cricket Australia, highlighting the public relations disaster the decision has been for the game.
Ponting said CA had blood on its hands for its treatment of Tim Paine and now Langer.
“It is a really sad day as far as Australian cricket is concerned and if you look back it has been a really poor six months on the whole in the way that Cricket Australia has handled some of the better people in Australian cricket – Justin Langer and Tim Paine,” said Ponting on ABC.
“And I think it’s been almost embarrassing the way they have handled those two cases.”
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