LAHORE: Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson will not be part of the third edition of the Pakistan Super League, the cricketing powerhouse confirmed on Tuesday.
In a Twitter statement sent out late in the evening, Johnson said he was pulling out for personal reasons as well as to best schedule himself for T20 tournaments in 2018.
It is pertinent to note that the Indian Premier League also has dates close to the PSL and is probably a bigger priority for Johnson, who has been a mainstay in the tournament since its inception.
“Yes, I am making myself unavailable this PSL 18 for personal reasons and also for me to schedule myself the way I feel works best for me this year for T20 tournaments” read his statement.
Yes I am making myself unavailable this PSL18 for personal reasons & also for me to schedule myself the way I feel works best for me this year for 20/20 tournaments. These are the only reasons for me not playing. I wish KK the best for the season.
— Mitchell Johnson (@MitchJohnson398) January 16, 2018
While early media reports of the incident had not been confirmed by Johnson himself, reliable sources did clarify the situation. The only question that remained was the reason behind Johnson’s sudden departure from the tournament.
Speculation was being made over whether he was asked by his IPL franchise not to participate or the possibility of him being angry over the process of his drafting.
Johnson had initially been part of the platinum category of the PSL draft, which is the highest ranked and highest paid in the categories. However, after failing to be picked in the first few rounds, Johnson was demoted to the diamond category. According to the sources which initially reported the news of his leaving the PSL, he had been irate over the demotion and felt humiliated.
Another factor that was brought up was his allotment to the Karachi Kings, a team coached by Mickey Arthur, with whom Johnson famously has bad blood.
Back in 2013, when Arthur was still coaching Australia, he had an altercation with players Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja, James Pattinson and Mitchell Johnson during the team’s tour of India. The scandal, which was unimaginatively named ‘Homework-Gate,’ occurred when Arthur sidelined the four players for not providing him written suggestions for improving team performance during the difficult away series.
While speculation regarding the abrupt leaving is rife in cricketing circles, the latter half of Johnson’s statement was clearly meant to clarify, at least officially, that his leaving did not have anything to do with any past history, dissatisfaction or annoyance.
“These are the only reasons for me not playing” he clarified in his tweet before going on to wish his would-be team the best of luck, writing “I wish KK the best for the season.”
While Johnson’s attempt at a clarification may have managed to save face for the PSL, it will cause the PCB some significant worry as this means the exit of one of the biggest new draws the tournament had managed to score for the third season. And as the board will most definitely scramble to find a replacement, this may be one of the first jitters in Pakistan’s attempts to pull off the grandest PSL yet.