Mitchell Johnson has launched a savage attack on his former teammate and current Australia Test captain Pat Cummins, accusing him of being 'gutless' and 'not respecting' former head coach Justin Langer.
Langer quit his role on Saturday, rejecting the offer of a short-term extension from Cricket Australia, citing a lack of support from senior players, support staff and the board.
In the lead up to Langer's resignation, Cummins has repeatedly been asked whether he wanted to see the coach remain in charge but always stopped short of calling for Cricket Australia to extend his contract.
And Johnson has slammed Cummins for failing to 'endorse an extension for Langer', claiming he has 'failed his first big test as captain pretty miserably'.
In a column for The West Australian , Johnson wrote: "Pat Cummins has been lauded as some type of cricketing saint since his elevation to the top job this summer.
"Cummins might have delivered with the ball during the Ashes series, but he has failed his first big test as captain pretty miserably.
"He had plenty of public opportunities to endorse an extension for Langer. So when he let it through to the keeper every time, it became pretty obvious he didn’t want it to happen.
"Cummins holds a lot of power and must have been central to what’s happened. He’s clearly had an agenda to get in a coach he wants. His recent interviews have been gutless by not respecting his coach when he could have been upfront from the start.
"The baggy green is hyped as the most revered symbol in Australian sport. But what does it stand for now?
"In the wake of the disgraceful white-anting of Langer as coach, which led to his resignation on Saturday, it stands for selfishness."
Langer coached Johnson during his time in charge of Western Australia and Perth Scorchers and the left-arm quick also paid tribute to Langer in a post on Instagram.
"Congratulations JL on your great achievements as coach," Johnson wrote. "You came in when you were needed & like you did with the WACA all those yrs ago, you turned it all around!
"The Australian way is the way you went about it. Hard work, honest conversation, one in all in attitude & so much more & you got a pathetic cricketing culture out of a ball tampering scandal & back into a respectable unit that the public wanted to watch again."
