Michael Clarke accuses Candice Warner and Mitchell Johnson of breaking one of cricket’s golden rules in savage stoush over David
Former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke pointed the finger at Mitchell Johnson and Candace Warner for breaking a sporting taboo during the ex-bowler’s scathing attack on her husband David.
Johnson wrote that Warner had not “guaranteed a hero’s removal” this summer despite the opening batsman’s long and illustrious career, pointing to his involvement in the 2018 Sandpapergate cheating scandal.
The comment opened old wounds between the pair after Johnson previously called for his former teammate to be dropped from the Test squad during The Ashes.
This prompted a reaction from Candice, who said the former pacemaker’s opinion was irrelevant and “not a big deal.”
Candace Warner has been accused of breaking sports taboos by getting involved in her husband’s long-running feud with Mitchell Johnson.
Former Australian captain Clarke (pictured) had a message for Candice and Johnson: “You don’t have to say things like that in the media.”
Clark has now criticized the pair, accusing them of dragging family members into the dispute after Johnson called the attacker’s wife “weird and disgruntled” and she accused him of using her husband’s name because it was “the only way to get into title.” .
Talking about your Sky Sports radio show Clark said Wednesday morning: “I don’t like families getting involved.
“When a parent, when a friend, when a partner gets involved, I don’t like it.
“I don’t like it when someone talks about someone’s family or someone’s partner… it’s too much.”
“If I get kicked out and my dad comes out and says, ‘What the f**k selection,’ I know he’s only looking out for his son, but dad, mate, that’s not going to help anyone.
“He can say it to me, say it to Mum, say it to my sisters, say it to our friends in the pub, but you don’t have to say it in the media.
“I don’t mind players having differences and not talking, and I don’t mind players looking at life differently and going down different paths.
Candace accused Johnson of using her husband’s name because it was the only way he could make more headlines after the former bowler’s first attack on David over his Test retirement.
Johnson responded by calling his former teammate’s wife “weird and disgruntled.”
“You wish everyone were friends, but they’re not. I don’t like to see families involved in this. It’s too personal for me.”
Johnson attacked Warner for not earning an orderly farewell to Test cricket at the SCG in January following his role in the 2018 Sandpapergate cheating scandal in South Africa.
He later said it was partly due to a text message Warner sent him in April.
“I got a message from Dave that was very personal and I tried to call him to talk about it,” Johnson said on The Mitchell Johnson Cricket Show podcast.
“Back then, until that moment, it was never personal. This is what prompted me to write an article or part of it. It’s definitely a factor. Some things he mentioned in this post.
“I won’t say it because Dave has to say if he wants to talk about it. There was something there that he said was extremely disappointing, and frankly, pretty bad. It was kind of a driver.”
In May, Candace criticized Johnson after he first expressed his opinion about saying goodbye to her husband in a newspaper column.
“It doesn’t surprise me because he doesn’t have much exposure to the media anymore and I feel like the only way to get into the headlines is to use David’s name,” she said.
Clarke (pictured during the 2015 Test) is still hopeful that Warner and Johnson can “have a coffee together” and put the episode behind them.
Johnson appears to have been sacked as a commentator on Triple M radio just days before the start of the first Test against Pakistan in Perth.
“Everyone takes his comments with a grain of salt. They don’t have much merit.”
Johnson appears to have been suspended from his role as a commentator on Triple M radio due to the scandal.
He said he will be in the commentary room at Optus Stadium for the first Test of the summer and fans are looking forward to an awkward encounter between the two Perth rivals.
However, the station did not include hero Ash in its list of 18 commentators for the summer of cricket.
Clark had several suggestions for how Warner and Johnson could put this problem behind them.
“I wish they would just (go) away from the world and sit together,” he said Wednesday.
“Have coffee together or just talk on the phone. Whatever it is, I’d like to think it can be fixed.”