Former Australia coach Justin Langer has called out Mitchell Johnson for breaking an “unwritten rule” among former players and said he “hated” the column the fast bowler penned on veteran opener David Warner.
Labelling Johnson, who questioned Warner’s place in the Test team and whether he deserved a final farewell in Sydney, as “stubborn”, Langer said former players should never air grievances in public.
Warner’s teammates have rallied behind him ahead of the opening Test in Perth and to a man expect the veteran batter to be fired up by the criticism that has dominated the build-up to the clash.
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Langer, writing in the same paper where Johnson’s column appeared, was scathing of the contents of Johnson’s column.
“In simple terms, I hate it when men from the rare club of playing cricket for Australia air any of their grievances publicly,” he wrote in The West Australian.
“I believe in a simple ethos of ‘praise in public, criticise in private’. In other words, if you want to say something publicly, be positive and use the opportunity to praise the person you are talking about.
“In contrast, if you want to criticise someone, look them in the eye and tell them how you are feeling.
“There was always an unwritten rule that, although all of us may not be best of friends, the mutual respect of playing for Australia was enough to stop us from criticising each other publicly.
“Let others criticise us, but we would tend to stick tight as a part of the Australian cricket culture.
“It never made much sense to me when our great mate Shane Warne publicly criticised Steve Waugh or John Buchanan. All three of these were (are) my friends, and Warnie’s view, while he had every right to share it, never sat easy with me.”
Langer said he wasn’t aware why Johnson went after Warner so hard, declaring he deserved his spot in the Test team because of his strong opening partnership with Usman Khawaja.
The former coach and opener himself said the duo should bury the hatchet privately.
“Anyone who knows me knows I am not one for shirking a single issue, but I do believe there are ways of getting your message across without getting personal,” Langer wrote.
“Mitch is one of the very best people I have met in the game. He is a gentle giant who was one of the great players and athletes I have seen. Like a lot of greats, he is also stubborn.
“While I don’t know the ins and outs of his gripe with Davey, I hope they can talk it out behind closed doors.
“He and Davey would have shared many happy moments together as teammates and I hope they can remember these going forward. It is much more fun.”
Johnson will be at Optus Stadium in Perth as part of the Triple M commentary team for the opening Test.
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