The legendary Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting has encouraged his former teammates Mitchell Johnson and David Warner to have a "face-to-face conversation" to resolve their differences. Ponting has also volunteered to mediate, especially in light of Johnson's candid column in an Australian publication, which has sparked intense discussions in the cricket community ahead of the first Test against Pakistan at Optus Stadium next week.
"I have to get in between these two guys at some stage. I think I need to be the mediator and get them both in a room and let them have it out rather than playing it out in the media. They're both pretty feisty characters and we know this issue that's come up now goes back six or eight months, back to the Ashes selection. That's where it all started. It sounds like an issue that's gone on without either of them sitting down and having a face-to-face conversation. I'd like to see that happen," Ponting told Sunrise on December 7.
According to Johnson, Warner was undeserving of a farewell during the third Test of the home series against Pakistan. Johnson argued that Warner had not fully taken responsibility for his involvement in the Sandpaper-gate scandal in South Africa in 2018, leading to a 12-month ban. The ex-Australian fast bowler questioned the rationale behind giving a hero's send-off to a player at the heart of one of the most significant scandals in Australian cricket history.
“As we prepare for David Warner's farewell series, can somebody please tell me why? Why does a struggling Test opener get to nominate his own retirement date? And why a player at the centre of one of the biggest scandals in Australian cricket history warrants a hero's send-off?”, Johnson wrote in a column.
Ponting backed Warner, saying that Warner isn't pushing for a farewell tour. He simply aims to step up in the upcoming Test match in Perth, score some runs and has clearly expressed his desire to conclude his career in Sydney.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
MORE ON SPORTS TAK
'Sreesanth calls Gautam Gambhir 'Mr. Fighter,' accuses him of disrespect after LLC brawl: 'Don't represent people if you don't respect colleagues'
Watch: Gautam Gambhir fights with yet another former teammate in Sreesanth, former pacer asks him to ‘respect his seniors’
