A week after two of his speaking engagements with Cricket Australia (CA) were canceled, former Australian cricketer Mitchell Johnson received an invitation to the 2024 Australian Cricket Awards, which raised some concerns.
Mitchell Johnson, who was invited to celebrate with Cricket Australia this week, expressed his disbelief on Instagram, asking whether they were serious after canceling two speaking commitments the previous week.
“Is Cricket Australia genuinely serious? I had two speaking engagements canceled last week. The invitation is to celebrate with them this week, and the lyrics from Rage Against The Machine’s song “Take the Power Back” were included in a screenshot that the former fast bowler shared on Instagram.
Due to Johnson’s contentious column that singled out David Warner and head selector George Bailey, Cricket Australia had just cancelled Johnson’s two speeches scheduled for the first Test in Perth. Johnson didn’t hold back in the aforementioned column, accusing Warner of giving a “hero send-off” and casting doubt on Bailey’s objectivity in making that decision.
Mitchell Johnson has been actively participating in Triple M’s cricket commentary this summer despite the controversy. The 42-year-old refrained from speaking publicly when his paid engagements were canceled, but he has since expressed surprise at the unexpected offer.
Johnson’s controversial essay for the West Australian, in which he examined earlier problems, such as the notorious Sandpapergate affair, is the source of the controversy. Afterwards, Johnson acknowledged that he wrote the divisive editorial for personal reasons, spurred on by prior communications from Warner and Bailey.
As I’ve always been honest with the guys, I attempted to call [Warner] and speak with him about it. That was never a private matter back then. Right up till then. That’s also what inspired me to write part of the article. On his Mitchell Johnson Cricket Show podcast with host Bharat Sundaresan, he clarified that it is unquestionably a factor.
Warner hit the field in the first Test match against Pakistan, undeterred by Johnson’s criticism, and silenced his doubters with a commanding 164. The cricket player dismissed the incident, claiming that Johnson had the right to voice his own thoughts.
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