| Ashes 2015: David Warner endorsed by Cricket Australia as new vice-captain |
David Warner's transformation from the bad boy of Australian cricket to an official leader is complete after the opener was endorsed by Cricket Australia on Friday as the new vice-captain of the national team.
As expected, CA's nine-person board ratified the recommendation of Steve Smith to be Michael Clarke's long-term successor but it was the appointment of Warner which will be the talking point.
Exiled to Africa on Australia's last Ashes campaign in England, Warner will finish this tour as Smith's deputy, the pair having been entrusted with the challenge of leading Australia out of the doldrums.
The pair's first assignment will be the limited overs matches against Ireland and England following the Ashes series. Such an appointment seemed far fetched weeks ago but the spectacular nature of Australia's Ashes failure has dramatically altered the landscape.
Clarke has retired while former vice-captains Brad Haddin and Shane Watson face uncertain Test futures, which left Warner with the rails run.
The importance of the vice-captaincy was recognised in the 2011 Argus review and put in action in 2013 when Haddin was appointed as Clarke's aide.
While Warner had seemed the logical choice to be the second in charge, doubt was cast on Sunday when CA chief James Sutherland said "I don't think that's necessarily an obvious next step".
Warner had been touted as a future leader very early in his Test career but those plans were shelved after a string of misdemeanours. His career was the at the crossroads two years ago when he was banished from Australia's Ashes squad after a bar-room scuffle with England batsman Joe Root.
A self-imposed alcohol ban was the catalyst for a stunning revival but the pugnacious left-hander again found himself at the centre of controversy last summer.
He was fined 50 per cent of his match fee after a fiery exchange with India's Rohit Sharma in which he demanded his opponent "speak English" during in a war of words. It prompted Sutherland to publicly chide Warner, telling him to stop looking for trouble. The incident followed a blue with Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan during the Adelaide Test.
Warner has had limited leadership experience domestically in Australia but he earned rave reviews from Tom Moody for his performance as captain of Hyderbad Sunrisers in the Indian Premier League.
Warner said during the tour of the Caribbean he no longer wanted to be Australia on-field "attack dog". He said earlier this week he would relish the opportunity to be vice-captain if the opportunity arose.
"Go back two years my life probably wasn't in the right direction. I was playing cricket for Australia - it's a boyhood dream - but I needed to be put back in my place a little bit," Warner said.
"And since then I think I've turned a lot around. I've got a lot of hundreds and I'm playing a good brand of cricket.
"There's been a little bit of a hiccup with the Rohit Sharma stuff but at the end of the day that was on the field and I've learnt to bite my tongue a little bit now.
"And I've got to keep moving forward and that's my job is to score runs. And if I can keep doing that the rest will take care of itself."
Warner said his new on-field attitude had also allowed him to develop tactically.
"Even when I'm at mid-off I'm always asking the bowlers what they're thinking," Warner said.
"I don't think it's so much it gets easier. It's more you're trying to work out ways of getting batsmen out . . . going back to the notes that you talk about before the game, making sure they're still in your mind and making sure you're concentrating on the ball ahead.
"The way someone like Joe Root has been batting exceptionally, he's been scoring a lot of runs square of the wicket nothing down the ground. So it's obviously something we as players in general we should be addressing as well."
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