Davey's been an absolute champion: Maxwell reacts to Johnson's column

Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has refused to get drawn into the discussion over Mitchell Johnson's explosive column on opener David Warner and instead opted to provide a shining endorsement for his fellow World Cup winner.

In his editorial published in the West Australian a few days ago, the former speedster Johnson questioned why Warner has the authority to choose his retirement date despite his terrible form with the bat in Tests.

Warner had stated his intentions to retire from the Test format earlier this year, stating that he would be keen to bring his career in red-ball format to an end at his home ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

As reported by ESPNcricinfo, when Johnson wrote an article in the West Australian questioning why Warner was getting a hero's send-off in Test cricket despite his poor form and whether the chair of selectors Bailey was too close to the players, he sparked an extraordinary public slanging match among the former Australia teammates.

Despite refusing to comment on Johnson's criticism of Warner, Maxwell praised the veteran Australia opener as a champion cricketer.

"I'm not going to throw my name into some headlines about this. But Davey's been an absolute champion of Australian cricket for a long period of time and the selectors were pretty clear on what they thought of it (selecting him). I'm looking forward to seeing Davey in that first Test and him making a lot of runs this summer," Maxwell said on Australian radio station SEN on Tuesday as quoted by ICC.

Meanwhile, Maxwell is aware that he is better suited to the limited-overs format of the game, the 35-year-old believes he can still make an impact at Test level and wishes to remain in contention ahead of Australia's last series of the current World Test Championship cycle.

"I'm quite understanding the circumstances of the current side. They're playing some really good cricket, they're World Test champions. There's not a lot of spots up for grabs as far as Tests at home, but I know that when it does come to a sub-continent tour I can be a real viable option to hopefully fill a role in that side. I don't think there's another sub-continent tour until early 2025. So, I'll keep trying to plug away and hopefully get an opportunity at that stage," Maxwell said.

Australia will face Pakistan in a three-match Test series, with the first game starting on December 14.