David Warner’s manager James Erskine has strongly defended the Aussie opener amid criticism from former teammate Mitchell Johnson, calling the former bowler a “backseat driver”.
He argued Warner, who ideally wants to retire after the upcoming Pakistan Test series with a farewell match at the SCG, remains the best man for the job despite Johnson’s scathing column about the 37-year-old and Aussie selection chief George Bailey.
Johnson argued Warner did not deserve a farewell series due to his role in the ball-tampering saga, claiming past players had not been given the same treatment, while he questioned Bailey’s integrity and professionalism, and whether he was too close with the playing group.
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Erskine was confused about why Johnson had been so aggressive, declaring it was “a bit sad”, and defended Warner’s form.
“Mitchell Johnson was a fine player … and he’s entitled to his opinion. But at the end of the day what surprises me is all these ex-cricketers who basically have a crack at the current lot,” he said on SEN’s Sportsday.
“You would never get that happening in golf where Arnold Palmer was criticising Nick Faldo, or Chrissie Evert having a crack at somebody else who was currently playing (tennis).
“I think it’s a bit sad in a way. I’m sure they have an opinion but I think it’s to get a headline.
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“My black Labrador could work out who are the contenders to basically take the spot. Cameron Bancroft, there’s Matt Renshaw, there’s Marcus Harris. Collectively they have averages in the mid-20s … David Warner has played 109 Test matches and has a (career) average of 44.4, got over 8500 runs.
“If anyone listening thought that David Warner wanted to play Test cricket for Australia if he didn’t think he was up to it, they’re wrong. He’s been a battler all his life, he’s a guy from the wrong side of the tracks, he’s a guy that’s gone and scraped a living and been very successful at it.
“But he doesn’t want a swansong, he thinks he’s the best guy for the job. I think the figures show it.
“If he goes and gets two ducks in the first two Tests then they’ll drop him, but, you know, he won’t.”
He added: “If there was somebody sitting on the sidelines who was an absolute automatic to come in, bring ‘em on.
“David would say, ‘Be my guest, I’ll give you batting tips’, but the fact of the matter is, there isn’t.
“I’m guessing but I won’t be far out, I think between Marcus Harris, Renshaw and Bancroft, they’ve probably got a total of 1500 runs between them.”
Warner’s performance in the most recent Ashes series in England was solid, but not spectacular, seeing him pass 20 more often than any other player but he often failed to turn those starts into substantial scores – with a top of 66.
Across 2023, Warner has averaged 22.81 in Tests, ninth among Aussie batters.
With his opening partner Usman Khawaja the leading run-scorer of the Ashes, it left many fans and analysts questioning whether the veteran deserved to hold his spot through the peak of the Australian summer.
But Erskine argued none of the challengers for his position had made a strong enough case, and that Warner was not simply being picked for sentimental reasons.
“It’s not a swan song, he’s just saying, ‘I’ve got to put a date on when I’m going to retire’,” Erskine said.
“It’s like the bank telling you at 65 you’ve got to retire. And the real reason to be honest is the amount of time he spends away from his family, he’s been away six of the last seven months away from his family.
“He still wants to carry on playing 20-20 and One-Day cricket, in fact, he said to me the other day that he’d like to play in the 2027 World Cup, he’ll be 41 then, so he’s doing a Bradman.
“The facts will come out, ‘are you good enough to play or are you not good enough to play?’
“He had a pretty good World Cup, his last Test match averages haven’t been the best, but tell me someone who can walk in there and replace him? He has a strike rate of 70, and his averages in Test matches are almost as good as his one-day (averages).
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