Concerns raised over Mitchell Johnson’s well-being after withering attack on David Warner

Concerns have been voiced over Mitchell Johnson’s well-being after the pace great’s withering attack on David Warner and George Bailey.

Mitchell Johnson is on an awkward collision course with former teammates David Warner and George Bailey, who voiced his concerns over Johnson’s well-being after the pace great’s withering attack on Australia’s opener and selection chair.

Despite the veteran being picked for the opening Test of the summer against Pakistan next week, chief selector Bailey on Sunday said Warner’s spot for the Boxing Day and Sydney Tests has still not been assured, but warned against the Shane Warne-like hole Warner would leave when he eventually vacates his post.

However naming of the squad itself was effectively relegated to sideshow status after Johnson once more waged war with members of the national side.

It was not even two years ago that Johnson obliterated Pat Cummins in a newspaper column over the role he perceived him playing in the sacking of coach Justin Langer.

The savage denigration caused a falling out between Johnson and Cummins – and the rest of the Australian bowling group – whom the former Test and World Cup great was close to during his playing career.

Now Johnson has driven an even greater schism between himself and those he went to battle with, as he wrote another column for the West Australian newspaper arguing Warner doesn’t deserve to play a farewell series against Pakistan due to his role in the Sandpapergate scandal more than five years ago.

Even more inflammatory was Johnson’s attempt to question the integrity of Bailey, appearing to query whether Bailey is showing preferential treatment to Warner because they’re former teammates. The trio were teammates during Australia’s Ashes whitewash 10 summers ago as well as in the triumphant 2015 World Cup.

Responding on Sunday to Johnson’s column, Bailey openly questioned Johnson’s mindset.

“I’ve been sent little snippets of it. Yeah. I hope he’s okay,” Bailey said.

Then asked if he thought Johnson was “okay,” Bailey added: “I’ve got no idea.”

Johnson’s latest attacks set the scene for an explosive first Test in Perth – at least off the field – where there is every chance Australian players may cross paths with Johnson at Perth Stadium given the retired great is due to be on commentary for Triple M.

“As we prepare for David Warner’s farewell series, can somebody please tell me why?” Johnson wrote.

“Why a struggling Test opener gets to nominate his own retirement date. And why a player at the centre of one of the biggest scandals in Australian cricket history (Sandpapergate) warrants a hero’s send-off?”

David Warner is set to retire at the New Year’s Test after a lean run with the bat. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Johnson’s takedown of selector Bailey went further, with Johnson blasting Bailey for a lack of “courage” and questioning his integrity and professionalism.

“When then-captain Tim Paine’s career was ending over the sexting controversy, chairman of selectors George Bailey said he didn’t want to be part of deciding Paine’s fate because the pair were close friends,” Johnson wrote.

“Bailey said he would leave it to then coach Justin Langer and fellow selector Tony Dodemaide to work it out. What courage,” Johnson wrote, although the sentence “what courage” appears to have been edited out online.

“The handling of Warner in recent years, who played with Bailey in all three forms, raises the question of whether Bailey was simply too quickly out of playing and into the job and too close to some of the players.”

While reluctant to comment too much on Johnson’s comments, Bailey defended his tight relationships with players. Bailey is a regular around Australian training, taking on the role of a pseudo-assistant coach.

“My only question or observation would be if someone can kind of show me how being distant and unaware of what players are going through and what the plans are with the team and with the coaching staff, how that’s more beneficial? I’ll be all ears,” Bailey said.

Bailey stopped short of guaranteeing Warner’s spot for the Melbourne and Sydney Tests, the latter of which Warner flagged months ago as his planned farewell.

Mitchell Johnson and David Warner in happier times when they were still teammates. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

“It’s been the ongoing story that clearly Dave would like to get through the series and finish up in Sydney and I fully respect that and understand that from a playing point of view. I think we’ve been pretty consistent around the fact that with any player performance-wise, it’s how they perform as an individual and then how that performance actually fits into the function of the team. And that won’t change,” Bailey said.

“We get the advantage of having a home Test series and being able to name a squad, Test by Test and not specifically to Dave, I think all players, it’s about performing and how that fits into the team that will determine the makeup of a side in any given Test.”

But Bailey added that Warner’s game-changing style meant it would be unfair to expect a like-for-like when he departs.

“I think whenever you’ve had someone who’s had that longevity and being so dominating in a role is just to temper the expectations of whoever is going to be the replacement there. And you think back to Warney finishing up as a spinner and how many spinners got bought in and shuffled out in the quest to almost try and replicate Warnie.

“And I don’t think you ever try and replicate someone who’s played a role for as long as someone has done it as well as they have and I’ll put David in that category.”

Uncapped quick Lance Morris has been recalled to the squad and could feature during the summer, although Bailey allayed concerns over the fitness of frontline quicks Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood saying all three were expected to be available for the first Test.

Originally published as Concerns raised over Mitchell Johnson’s well-being after withering attack on David Warner