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Is the time right for Michael Clarke to relinquish the Australian captaincy on a permanent basis?
With Clarke himself raising doubts about any sort of playing future, the thought of no longer being skipper should be at the forefront of his mind.
After such a mentally draining three weeks, and a physically draining few months, his mind and body are in need of rest and repair. All his energies should be focussed on complete and total healing, without the burden of captaincy, and all of the commitments that come with it.
Fading into the background for a while would be no bad thing.
While the World Cup is at the forefront of most minds this Australian summer, talk of the 2015 Ashes is never far away, and is of far greater concern to the cricket purist anyway. With much of our line-up still fragile, Clarke is needed as a batsmen first and foremost, and a leader second.
While there is still something of a leadership vacuum among the current Test playing group, which is forever in a state of flux these days, the obvious candidates are the current vice-captain Brad Haddin, Steve Smith and David Warner.
Despite Warner’s form since his return to the side in England last year (1690 runs at 62.6, with eight centuries), he is not the right man for the job. Still too boorish, even as he matures, we should applaud and enjoy his destruction at the top of the order without asking for anything more.
Vice-captain Haddin has always had his critics, and continues to do so thanks to a lean run with the bat. With just 188 runs at an average of 17.1 this calendar year, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, and rarely do 37-year-olds have much upside at the elite level.
That said, Haddin’s off-field leadership is highly valued, and with other spots in the team looking more vulnerable than his, he doesn’t look remotely like being in the selectors gun.
In fact, if Darren Lehmann and company are looking for a short-term captaincy replacement until Clarke resumes his position, be it for one or two Tests, or even the entire Indian series, then Haddin should be the man. The Test captaincy is not something that should be projected forward on a trial basis to see if it’s a good fit for someone.
In any case, if the captain is unavailable, the vice-captain is there to step into the breach until he returns.
However, if Clarke makes the decision to step aside, Steve Smith is the only viable candidate for the position, combining present and future needs. Just because there are a dearth of alternatives doesn’t mean he isn’t the perfect man for the job.
Since his return to the Australian Test side in India last March, Smith has scored 1490 runs at a rock solid average of 51.4, securing his place in the side beyond measure.
While that Indian series was the unquestioned playing and political nadir for this current Australian set-up, Smith’s character and courage were a bright spark among the gloom. He offered resistance and resilience in a team sorely lacking both, and his maturity shone through.
I wrote after that series that he had shown the stomach for a fight, and the talent to succeed when others were failing. His reputation has only grown since.
Like many before him, Smith has also thrived once assured of a place in the side – 779 runs at 77.9 in 2014 attest to that.
While some would argue that he is too young, and there is no need to burden him with captaincy while in career best form, everything we’ve seen from him in the last two years tells us that he will rise again under the responsibility.
Yes, he would be the youngest captain since the ill-fated Kim Hughes reign during a period of extreme turmoil in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but this is no reason to shy away from the decision.
There is far more off-field support these days than ever before (some would say too much), and coach Darren Lehmann provides strong leadership.
Smith would be an inventive and instinctive captain in the Michael Clarke mould, not as conservative or defensive as Steve Waugh, nor likely to let the game drift away as Ricky Ponting did too many times due to lack of imagination.
Michael Clarke has led Australia, the cricket team and the nation, through arguably the most emotionally difficult period in the game’s history. As a leader, he’s proven his worth many times over. He need not do any more. As a player, he is still very much required.
Should Clarke resign from the captaincy, or hold onto it as long as he harbours intentions to play at Test level again? It’s a question that may well have several right responses, but it needs to be asked, and right now.
Steve Smith might just be the answer to it all.