Big twist in Mitchell Johnson’s fight with David Warner as batter’s reaction to extraordinary attack is revealed and Pat Cummins breaks his silence on clash that has rocked cricket

The feud between Mitchell Johnson and David Warner continues to simmer and the batter has reportedly contacted a number of former players to try to understand why the legendary left-arm fast bowler lashed out at him.

Johnson didn’t mince words in an explosive newspaper column in which he said Warner didn’t deserve a “hero’s farewell” this summer given his involvement in the notorious Sandpapergate cheating scandal in 2018.

The former paceman also highlighted Warner’s lack of Test participation in recent years before singling out selector chairman George Bailey.

He then stepped up his criticism of Warner and Bailey in a podcast with cricket writer Bharat Sundaresan.

It has now become known that Warner, who wants to walk away from the Test arena during the SCG clash with Pakistan in January, wants to know why Johnson targeted him personally in the column.

Warner has “contacted current and former Australian players” to try to find out about Johnson as the Australian opener remains “in the dark” after the attack, according to the report Sydney Morning Herald.

The feud between Mitchell Johnson and David Warner shows no signs of slowing down, with the batter (left) reportedly contacting several former players to understand why the left-arm fast bowler lashed out at him.

Pat Cummins (pictured with wife Becky) spoke about Mitchell’s attack on Warner and said the current team was “fiercely protective” of the star batter.

Former captain Steve Waugh stressed that Johnson and Warner “are both adults who are entitled to their opinions and should be able to deal with criticism.”

One source told the publication: “This is the fourth or fifth time Mitch has moved to a fairly successful Australian team.”

Many current stars are said to be baffled by Johnson’s harsh criticism given that the Australians won the World Test Championship, the recent ODI World Cup in India and retained the Ashes this year.

Former Australian captain Steve Waugh stressed that Johnson and Warner “are both adults who are entitled to their opinions and should be able to handle criticism.”

On Friday, Warner finally broke his silence on the matter, saying Johnson is entitled to his views, no matter how harsh they may be.

“It wouldn’t be summer without a headline, would it?” he said at the launch of Fox Cricket’s summer coverage in Parramatta on Friday.

‘It is what it is. Everyone has the right to their own opinion. “Moving forward, we look forward to good testing in the west.”

Current captain Pat Cummins also confirmed that the playing group had rallied around Warner.

“We are very protective of each other. We’ve been through a lot over the years,” he said.

“I’ve been playing alongside someone like Davey or Steve (Smith) for about ten years now. (We) protect each other fiercely.

“It’s hard to say (what Mitch’s motivation is). You’ll have to ask Mitch. But there are so many things about Australian cricket right now that we should celebrate.

Cummins and Warner are pictured at an event in Sydney on Friday along with fellow cricket stars Alyssa Healy and Usman Khawaja.

“There’s so much going on in Australian cricket at the moment and I think we need to focus and talk about it.”

Cummins also defended selector Bailey, who Johnson considered “too close” to the players.

“I thought it was brilliant. George played fantastically. He makes my job a lot easier,” Cummins said.

“I remember several of my old coaches saying that the playing staff will always take care of itself. It’s the guys on the periphery who are always the most difficult to manage because they have obvious frustrations.

“The way George has managed it over the years, it has been brilliant. I’ve never seen a selector as practical and impressive as George.”

An under-pressure Warner has managed just one Test century from 25 matches since the 2020/21 summer – a memorable double hundred against South Africa in his 100th Test at the MCG at the end of 2022.

Australian selectors have stuck by Warner through a difficult period that admittedly led to two sackings in the 1990s, and are in the process of identifying his replacement out of Sydney.

The first Test against Pakistan at Optus Stadium in Perth begins on December 14.

Johnson is expected to be in the Triple M commentary room, where he could be asked to interview Warner in scenes that could be over the top.