Australian superstar Steve Smith says he is keen for the second stint at captaincy of Australia if the opportunity arises.
After the ‘sandpaper gate’ in Cape Town 2018, Steve Smith had lost Australia captaincy, which rocked the cricket world and, in particular, Australian cricket. Steve Smith and the opening partners David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were handed suspensions by Cricket Australia after the ball-tampering saga.
While David Warner was barred from any leadership position for a lifetime, Smith could get the captaincy back after 12 months of completing his suspension. It’s been a year since Smith has become eligible for the leadership role.
Smith returned to Test cricket with one of the all-time great individual performances in any series in sports history. Smith racked up 774 runs in the Ashes 2019 with three centuries against a relentless English bowling attack. While he has stayed silent on the topic so far, Smith, undoubtedly the most important Australia player, has now opened up about his keenness for the captaincy.
I guess now I’ve got to a point where if the opportunity did come up again I would be keen. If it was what Cricket Australia wanted and it was what was best for the team at the time, it’s certainly something I would be interested in.
Smith told News Corp.
Contenders for the captaincy
Tim Paine, who took over the job in a challenging period after the sandpaper gate, did an exceptional job of keeping the team together and changing the public perception. Cricket Australia has given him all the support. Still, with Paine being 36 years old and his place under scrutiny after a second successive series loss at home against India, the captaincy could open up.
The number one ranked Test bowler Pat Cummins who is the vice-captain of the team, is a top contender for the role despite pace bowlers rarely getting the nod because of the workload. Cricket Australia has not yet given any indication of Smith’s reinstatement.
Smith has accepted that the black spot will always be there in his career, but he has grown up as a person with the time.
I’m always going to have to live with Cape Town regardless of whether I lead again or not. It’s always there. Time keeps moving forward, and I’ve learnt so much the last few years about myself and grown as a human being.
Smith added.
