- Michael Vaughan has backed David Warner
- Warner has been criticized by Mitchell Johnson
- Vaughan says Warner deserves a Sydney swan song
David Warner has received support from an unlikely source, with former England captain Michael Vaughan starting for the opener under fire amid recent criticism.
Warner's place in the Australian Test team has been called into question during a torrid 2023 in which he averaged just over 22 runs.
With Pakistan and the West Indies touring Australia this summer, several experts believe this is the perfect time to try out potential long-term replacements for Warner.
However, the 37-year-old wants to leave on his own terms and is targeting a farewell to Sydney in the New Year, a position that has seen opener and selector George Bailey harshly criticized by Mitchell Johnson.
Johnson wrote an inflammatory column claiming that Warner had not earned the right to a swan song given his role in Sandpapergate.
David Warner has received support from an unlikely source: England legend Michael Vaughan
Warner's place in the Test team has been called into question after a string of poor performances
But Vaughan believes Warner deserves a proper send-off this summer.
'He's one of the greats. I don't understand why people don't say he's a great player,” Vaughan told Fox Cricket.
“The fact that he's made mistakes in the past, I think, there's friction with him and some ex-players (and) I think there's friction with him and some Australian supporters.
'(But) if you put all that aside and look at his numbers, he has only suffered once and that was his batting in England against Stuart Broad around the wicket.
“Furthermore, he has been dominated pretty much wherever he plays and has played T20 cricket, 50-over cricket and Test match cricket. His track record here in Australia is fantastic.
“You talk about the greats of the game and I go back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, that great Australian side, (and) not many of them have 25 Test match centuries.
'Yet here we are, with a player like David Warner, who is three Test matches away from retirement, and all the talk is: 'Should he get that chance to play in Sydney?'
Former England captain Vaughan says Warner has earned the right to a swan song
When asked about his thoughts on the debate, Steve Smith said: “Everyone in the media is entitled to their opinion, but you know what, I don't believe in what's going on between those two, so I'm staying out of it. That.
“If you look at his career, it's been incredible. I think he's closing in on all-time… most runs as an opener, I think.
“So that's pretty incredible considering some of the batters have come before him as an opener as well. He's been a great player for over a decade.”