Former Test opener Simon Katich believes David Warner deserves another chance to assume a leadership within the Australian team.
It comes after Steve Smith was named vice-captain of the Australian Test team after serving a two-year leadership ban for his role in the infamous ball-tampering saga in 2018.
Smith, who was captain at the time of the incident, is eligible to skipper Australia once again, while David Warner, who was Smith’s deputy for the tour of South Africa, was given a lifetime leadership ban.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell slammed Cricket Australia for the different punishments handed down to Smith and Warner.
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“I wish that Cricket Australia had made a clean break, but for Cricket Australia to get anything right at the moment is asking a bit much,” Chappell said on 2GB's Wide World of Sports radio.
“For starters, I have a problem … why is Steve Smith looked upon as a different punishment to David Warner? In fact, if anything, I think Steve Smith’s crime was greater.
“Either Steve Smith has a two-year ban from captaincy and so does David Warner, or Steve Smith has a life ban and so does Dave Warner. Same thing.”
Speaking on SEN Mornings, Katich agreed with Chappell’s thoughts regarding Warner’s lifetime leadership ban, although he can’t see Cricket Australia overturning the suspension.
“I think Ian Chappell summed it up pretty well the other day. He made the comment around the fact that Warner has been banned yet Steve Smith was in charge at the time,” Katich said.
“Why should it be that one player gets the ban and another doesn’t? He felt that Steve Smith was probably more culpable as captain for having turned a blind eye to it or what was going on.
“From a consistency perspective he probably deserves another chance if Cricket Australia see fit.
“Given that he was banned at the time, I can’t see them overturning that.”
Pat Cummins was appointed Australia’s 47th Test captain ahead of the upcoming Ashes series and Katich is backing the star quick to “galvanise” the squad.
Cummins replaced Tim Paine in the role after the 36-year-old wicketkeeper stepped down after a series of lewd text messages sent to a former colleague at Cricket Tasmania were made public.
“These sorts of things generally galvanise the group,” Katich said.
“Obviously it’s not ideal given what’s happened.
“The respect that the team will have for Pat Cummins given what he’s achieved individually and as a senior player and vice-captain in the last few seasons, I think the players will really get behind him and make it a special series for him, his first one as captain.
“He’s got fantastic support around him in Steve Smith and the senior players there. A lot of them now have played a lot of Test cricket.”
The countdown to the first Ashes Test is on, with Day 1 of the Gabba clash slated for next Wednesday.