Sutherland impressed with the new Warner

If one day is a long time in cricket, three years is a lifetime.

Three years ago David Warner was on the outer of the Australian cricket team; fined, suspended and jettisoned to South Africa for punching England’s Joe Root in a Birmingham night club on the eve of the 2013 Ashes.

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The act was described as ‘despicable’ by Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland, whose strong words were also lined with a sense of hope that it was the beginning of a new era for Warner.

"Warner's specific indiscretion is entirely inappropriate, there is no place for violence anywhere and I'm extremely disappointed in that, I'm extremely disappointed in him and I have told him that," said Sutherland in June 2013.

"In regard to David Warner himself I hope this is a turning point for him.”

Fortunately for Warner, Sutherland and Australian cricket, it was.

Fast forward three years and former Australia captain Mark Taylor believes the 29-year-old is Australia’s most complete batsman across cricket’s three formats.

He’s captained his country five times without tasting defeat.

He’s barely touched an alcoholic beverage, save for a sip of the sponsor’s product in January this year when he was awarded the Allan Border Medal as Australia’s leading men’s cricketer in the preceding 12 months.

But what are perhaps the biggest milestones of the lot is meeting his wife Candice and together the pair are raising two young daughters.

And he’s doing a good job as a dad after he was named the Australia’s Sporting Father of the Year last month.

It’s a transformation his teammates have seen first-hand, with his comrades in South Africa recently asking the question "Have you met the new Davey Warner?", while others referred to him as ‘The Reverend’ due to his spreading of positivity as if it were gospel.

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Warner’s turnaround has not just been witnessed by his teammates. The news of the metamorphosis has filtered through all the way to the top.

“He just continues to step up,” Sutherland told reporters Monday. “You can’t help but be impressed by what he’s doing.

“Seems as though marriage has been good time him, fatherhood’s been good to him, vice-captaincy’s been good to him and long may that last.

“He’s stepping up as a leader and continuing to make runs and doing what he does best. I’m very impressed.

“I think we saw that in him and I don’t think the selectors would have recommended and the board approve his vice-captaincy if we didn’t see the sort of growth trajectory that he was on.

“We’re very comfortable with the role that he’s playing, the support he’s providing Steven (Smith) and the role he’s playing in the team as well.”