Brett Lee has taken aim at Indian Premier League side Sunrisers Hyderabad over their “poor” treatment of Australian opener David Warner.
Warner was stripped of the Sunrisers captaincy in May, and dropped from the team the following day as the franchise languished at the bottom of the ladder with one win from their opening six matches.
It was a forgettable campaign for the 34-year-old, having scored 195 runs in eight games at an average of 24.37 and been left out of the squad towards the end of the season.
Warner has scored just 17 runs in his last five T20 innings for the Sunrises and Australia.
Speaking on SEN Breakfast, Lee has backed his fellow New South Welshman to rediscover his best form after his confidence took a hit in the IPL.
“The tide will turn, he’s a class player, you don’t lose class overnight,” the Aussie cricket great said.
“The thing I’ll say about David Warner is he was so poorly treated throughout the IPL.
“To firstly get stripped of his captaincy, then to be dropped from the Sunrisers Hyderabad team, not being allowed to go to the ground – if you want to wreck someone’s confidence for a few games, that’s the best way to do it.
“He’s always been one of the top run getters in the T20 format, certainly in the IPL.
“I’m expecting big things from David Warner, and I reckon he’ll turn his form around.”
Warner will feature when Australia takes on Sri Lanka in their second T20 World Cup match in Dubai on Friday morning (AEDT).