Shane Warne has backed Australia's next Test captain, Pat Cummins, claiming he would do a great job.
A former legend of the game himself, Warne never rose to captain his country despite taking over 700 wickets for the national Test team during a glittering career.
Pat Cummins was last week appointed to captain Australia following Tim Paine standing down from the role. While the wicket-keeper has now removed himself from the squad completely, Cummins will become the first full-time pace bowler to captain Australia's Test team, and the first all since Ray Lindwall.
Speaking at a function to launch Big Bash League supercoach, Warne said Cummins had the respect of the cricket community, and his teammates.
"He has the respect of the world cricket community, I think he has the respect of his teammates, I think he has been a fantastic player for a long period of time, so I think it's great to see a bowler actually be captain," Warne said.
"I think he will do a bloody good job too.
"I think he deserves his opportunity at it, and he will be a bit nervous because he hasn't done too much of it, and you're never the best version of yourself when you first become captain."
It wasn't the call on Cummins which rose the most eyebrows though, with Warne also suggesting during a column for The Herald Sun over the weekend that David Warner should be considered for a leadership role again if the opportunity arose on the back of Steve Smith being named as Cummins' vice-captain.
Smith copped a 12-month leadership ban upon his return to the Test team, while Warner copped a ban from any Australian cricket leadership role for the remainder of his career for the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.
"What I don’t understand is why David Warner is the only one still being punished (unfairly) for what happened in South Africa, and the captain who allowed the sandpaper scandal to happen on his watch is now someone CA want to put back into a leadership role. It just doesn’t make sense." Wrote Warne.
"Warner has the best cricket brain in that team. He’s been made the scapegoat. How can it be that the captain at that time gets a second chance, but a player doesn’t?"
