Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has hinted at a potential rift between Mitchell Johnson and David Warner. While acknowledging that retired cricketers are entitled to share their opinions, Clarke emphasized the need for discussions to remain respectful and not turn personal.

In a recent column for The West Australian, Johnson launched a scathing attack on Warner, particularly questioning the opener's involvement in what is being dubbed as his 'farewell' Test series. Johnson's comments reignited discussions around Warner's role in the infamous sandpaper scandal and suggested that the struggling opener may not deserve a heroic send-off.

"Yeah (that’s why I wonder if) maybe I’ve missed something here ... Mitch hasn’t played for years now so maybe there is a beef, I don’t know. When you’re in a role like this ... if you have an opinion and it’s based on what’s best for the team, or your experience, then go with that. But it should never be personal. I try not to make it personal and if it comes across that way you try and apologise for that because you don’t want that," Clarke suggested.

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The criticism drew a response from George Bailey, the current chief selector, who urged Johnson to consider the players' perspectives before offering such opinions. Bailey's remarks were made during a media session after announcing Australia's squad for the upcoming Test against Pakistan.

Clarke, reflecting on the situation, acknowledged the strong personalities of both Johnson and Warner. However, he mentioned that during their time playing together, he did not observe any significant issues between the two.

"In every sporting team. Not everybody gets on. Not everyone is best friends. Dave is a strong character, Mitch is a strong character, (they) went hard at each other in the nets. I saw that but I couldn’t sit here and say they had beef against one another when we played."

Recently, Australia named 14-man squad for the first Test against Pakistan, starting on December 14th in Perth.