David Warner breaks silence after Mitchell Johnson’s blistering attack

David Warner has spoken publicly for the first time after he was torn to shreds by former Australian teammate Mitchell Johnson.

David Warner has spoken publicly for the first time in the wake of Mitchell Johnson’s scathing criticism.

Johnson took aim at his former Aussie teammate in a blistering column in The West Australian over the weekend where he re-ignited a long-running feud with Warner and his family.

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A war of words between Johnson and Candice Warner was one of the most surprising beefs of 2023 after the West Australian called for Warner to be dropped from Australia’s Ashes tour in the UK this year as a result of his poor form.

The feud exploded again with Johnson launching a seemingly unprovoked attack on the batsman.

Days after the war of words erupted, Warner broke his silence on Friday as he got behind the microphone during Fox Sports and Kayo Sports Summer launch in Sydney.

“It is what it is, everyone’s entitled to their own opinions,” Warner said.

“Moving forward we’re looking towards a nice Test in the West.”

Warner said he’s able to block out the criticism he has faced throughout his career thanks to the lessons he learned from his parents.

“I resonate with where I grew up and for me it was a great upbringing with my parents and it taught me every day to fight and work hard,” he said.

“My parents ingrained that into me and when you get onto the world stage you don’t understand what comes with that.

“It’s a lot of media, a lot of criticism … but a lot of positive. And what’s more important is what you see here today with people coming out to support cricket, Australian cricket and cricket in general which is fantastic.”

David Warner has broken his silence.

Aussie skipper Pat Cummins said the current squad had rallied around the opener following the stinging criticism.

“I think we protect each other a lot. We have been through a lot over the years,” Cummins said.

“Our boys, I’ve played alongside someone like Davey or Steve (Smith) for a dozen years now. (We are) fiercely protective of each other.”

Cummins questioned the motives behind the attack, especially after the Australian team had enjoyed a hugely successful run.

“I think sometimes you have to remind yourself of the amount of positive support that is out there,” Cummins said.

“We have played with hundreds and hundreds of people over our careers and for the most part everyone is fantastic.

“It is hard to say (what Mitch’s motivation is). You have to ask Mitch. But there are so many things we should be celebrating about Australian cricket at the moment.

“Our men’s and women’s teams have had arguably our most successful seasons ever. We are going into a really exciting summer.

“There are so many exciting things about Australian cricket at the moment and I think we should be focusing and talking about that.”

The 37-year-old Warner has struggled to make an impact on the Test scene with many people believing the team should be selected on form, not on legacy.

It’s led to vast speculation around who will take Warner’s place in the Australian XI at the top of the batting order.

Bancroft looms as the leading candidate to replace Warner. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting says there’s only one real option that should be considered for the opening.

“If you look at those three guys (Bancroft, Renshaw and Harris), I think it’s quite clear that Bancroft is the one that’s got the runs on the board and I wouldn’t be surprised if (selectors) go that way,” Ponting said on SEN radio.

“If you wind the clock back about six months it might have been a slightly different order than what it is now.

“I think they probably had Harris as the one that would come back in a while ago.

“To me now it sort of feels (there’s) a bit more of a groundswell behind Cameron Bancroft getting first crack.”

Bancroft opened the batting for the Prime Ministers XI against Pakistan where he made 53 runs from 128 deliveries. Harris was alongside him and was sent on his way for 49 runs from 102 deliveries.