Cricket: Australia 'tarnished' by Warner incident - Vaughan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan said David Warner had “tarnished the whole Australia cricket team” with his alleged attack on Joe Root.

Opening batsman Warner was dropped from the Australia side for their rain-marred no result Champions Trophy match against New Zealand at Edgbaston on Monday after his clash with England batsman Root in a Birmingham bar in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The incident followed the Aussies’ 48-run defeat by England in their tournament opener at Edgbaston on Saturday.

“Unfortunately David Warner has tarnished the whole Australia cricket team,” Vaughan told BBC Sport on Wednesday.

“People are talking about him but the whole network, structure, captain, management, supporters, are all tarred with the same brush because of what that one individual has done to the team,” said Vaughan, who led England to Ashes glory in 2005.

However, Australia stand-in captain George Bailey, speaking after Wednesday’s match, downplayed the clash which has left Warner facing a Cricket Australia disciplinary hearing, expected to be held before this weekend

Warner carried the drinks at Edgbaston on Wednesday and Bailey said of the dynamic opener: “I thought he took it on the chin. No pun intended.

“From my point of view, it’s disappointing. It’s a very minor incident and being dealt with in-house.”

Vaughan absolved Australia coach Mickey Arthur and captain Michael Clarke for a confrontation that took place just under a month before the first Ashes Test starts at Nottingham’s Trent Bridge ground on July 10.

South African Arthur dropped four players for the third Test in India in March — a series Australia eventually lost 4-0 — for failing to complete “homework” having asked them for written comments about how to improve the team.

In a separate incident Warner last month came under fire for a Twitter tirade directed at two respected Australian cricket journalists after a story about corruption and fixing in the Indian Premier League was illustrated with a picture of him.

He was found guilty of breaching CA’s code of behaviour and fined Aus$5,750 (US$5,608, £3,700).

Vaughan, who played 82 Tests for England, 51 as captain , before retiring in 2009, added: “In India a few months ago they would definitely have felt it couldn’t get any worse and you come to England and it’s a clean slate.

“People will say the management isn’t strong enough but what does the management do when someone swings at an opposing player at 02:00 or 03:00?

“It’s nothing that a coach or a captain can stop, it’s down to that one individual acting in an irresponsible manner.”