Allan Border captained Australia in 93 Test matches, a record for our nation and second highest of all time behind South African stalwart Graeme Smith on 109. Smith had only played 8 Tests before becoming captain of South Africa. Border, by comparison, had played 63.
Why am I comparing these two greats of the game of cricket? Steve Smith, that’s why.
Smith is in a situation wherein his own captaincy is a potential hybrid of the careers of both of those players.
Steve Smith first captained Australia at the relatively young age of just 25. Graeme Smith was only 22 when he took over from Shaun Pollock as captain of South Africa. Thus, if things go well for Steve Smith, he could well go on to not only break Allan Border’s record of 93 Tests as captain, but also Graeme Smith’s 109. That’s if things go well.
However, what we have seen recently of the Australian cricket team suggests that things might not possibly go that well. Yet, as Border demonstrates, that does not automatically mean a short-term career as captain. It is up to Smith to make it happen.
Graeme Smith inherited a team with the likes of Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten. As a captain, he was more or less able to hit the ground running, and it shows.
His 53 test victories is only closely matched by Ricky Ponting on 48 and Steve Waugh on 41. The latter two hold the highest winning percentages as captain ever, at 62.3% for Ponting and almost 72% for Waugh. Smith’s is only 48.6%.
The story is different in Allan Border’s case, and probably more closely represents the situation Steve Smith finds himself in now.
Border, sometimes known as “the reluctant captain,” became the Australian skipper at the age of 30. Steve Smith may be in a slightly better position as captain compared to Border, though.
Until Bob Simpson came along, the Australian Test team didn’t even have a full-time professional coach. At least Steve has Darren Lehmann… for now.
Further, the team Border inherited has been described as the “worst Australian batting line-up of all time.” Interestingly, it was to this line-up that recent comparisons were made in the aftermath of several woeful batting performances both here and in Sri Lanka.
The Test team’s woes of Border’s era is reflected in his record. Yes, he captained Australia in 93 Tests, but he only won 32 of them at a win ratio of 34.4%. In fact, Border lost more than he won: 47 Test losses at 50.5%. It is worth noting he lost one of every two Tests he captained.
Yet is was from this era that some of our greatest players emerged. Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor, David Boon, Ian Healy, Geoff Marsh, Terry Alderman, Merv Hughes and Geoff Lawson to name but a few.
Steve Smith, at just 27, has a long way to go in Test cricket; another ten years is not improbable. He has the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, David Warner and Usman Khawaja at his disposal. It’s the foundation of a very good team.
The question of Smith’s statistics lie in the other 6 or 7 players that the future starting eleven will consist of.
Nathan Lyon won’t be around for too many more seasons, thus, the need for the next Test spinner is something that should be getting considerable attention right now.
Warner’s shoulder will hold for another two or three years, but after that, he is living on borrowed time.
The ghost of Adam Gilchrist still haunts the wicketkeeping position. The sooner Australia recovers from the addiction of a wicketkeeper that can smack a ton in 70 balls, the better. Peter Neville should remain in place for the foreseeable future. Better batting higher up the order would help the side.
The rest of the team is a total crap shoot. I think the Marsh brothers have had their day, at 32 going on 33, there just isn’t a future in Shaun anymore.
Mitch Marsh is done. Sure he could go back to his Shield team and grind away for a few seasons in an attempt to improve, but the lure of easy bucks in 20/20 will probably be too much to resist.
The result is that Steve Smith finds himself in the same position as Allan Border. He has a huge amount of work in front of him. The next five years, at least, will be painful.
There will be Ashes series losses, both here at home and in England. South Africa look like they have our number for now, and India will be the usual basket case of flogging us in one series and then choking in the next.
Unlike Border’s time though, Smith doesn’t have to worry about a rampaging West Indies anymore. So he has that in his favour.
The result is Smith would be best served by forgetting about emulating the Test captaincies of Waugh or Ponting. Instead, he should turn to Border and remember that he served as captain for longer than those two despite losing over half of the Tests he captained.
Steve Smith’s legacy won’t be his record. Like Border, it will be the team he leaves behind for the next captain of Australia to inherit, whoever he, or she, may be.
Captain Oblivious
Guest
I'm not sure where you got the 47 Test losses for AB. The record I'm seeing is 32 wins, 38 draws, 1 tie and 22 losses. Given how poor that record was in the first 5 years of his captaincy, he retired with a very respectable ratio IMO. As far as the subject of this article is concerned, I agree that Smith will never be capable of filling Border's shoes. AB was far more stoic and learned his trade during the most tumultuous time in Australia's cricket history.
davSA
Guest
Yes Doogs from what I see and read there is little difference between our press and yours. Ironically the late Hansie Cronje was and still is more revered than Graeme Smith despite the cricketing scandals. However when Graeme Smith separated from his wife the press were like a pack of dogs at him. She is this beautiful model and he is just apparently a heartless cad.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
For starters, it wasn't George Bailey. It was Shane Watson who took Swann to the cleaners. Bailey's 28 off one over was from Jimmy Anderson. Alex must have missed that tiny little detail.
doogs
Guest
Cheers Dav. Apparently SA press is very similar to Australia. I think Smith was a good enough captain with a fine record. I think he deserves to be remembered fondly for his test career.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
The best advice for Steve Smith is to be himself. He seems a nice bloke, somewhat amused by the shennenigans around being the most important man in the country. Lehmann needs to leave him to do his job.
The Bush
Roar Guru
I reckon Border was practically opening for Australia half the time even at No 5...
davSA
Guest
The same Graeme Smith has urged the Aussie public to give Steve Smith a chance. He made his reasons in public in Australia. Amongst those reasons was to give him a chance to get those players around him that he wants. The fact that Graeme Smith inherited a team with some established legends did not necessarily make it easier . He was brash and 22 years old. Could easily have gone the other way. What is for certain is that like Steve Smith , Graeme Smith was massively underestimated by the SA public and also consistently disliked despite his record. I guess the reasons would probably be the subject of another article. But I for one was a huge Graeme Smith fan and when he says that Steve Smith is an excellent captain I take it seriously.
Mike Huber
Roar Pro
Alex "The result is Smith would be best served by forgetting about emulating the Test captaincies of Waugh or Ponting. " Three horrendous Ashes losses due to Ricky's inept captaincy plus losing to SA at home for the first time since 1970 - Smith certainly does not what to emulate that - although he has already ballsed up the series against SA In truth Ponting was an average Captain but an awesome batsman - one of the best ever .
Splarp
Guest
Are you seriously suggesting Graeme Swann retired because of George Bailey, or even that series as a whole? Think a chronic elbow knack was more to blame...
Splarp
Guest
Cook is an opening batsmen, who opens half of his tests in tricky English conditions (Aussies will remember how hard the first half a session can be on English pitches!), yet still has amassed over 10,000 runs at a good average and has maybe 1/3 of his career to go. Apple and Pears.
The Bush
Roar Guru
It's all about context. Border's record is astounding for the fact that he played at a time when only Viv Richards averaged 50. No Australian batsman averaged anything like that. In fact many of the famous batsmen of the '80s and early '90s have averages that are very low by modern standards. And Border did it in a team with no support. It's rose tinted glasses, but Border is remembered as being tough in a way no modern cricket seems to be. In contrast, Cook averages only 47 in an era when 50-something batsmen seem to be everywhere. Additionally Cook has had the benefit of having some pretty tidy cricketers play in his teams. Root, Anderson, Broad, KP, Swan. Border had Boonie (who averages the same as Ian Bell - but again, different generation, so Boonie was clearly a class above), Jones, a young McDermott. Others were only around for short stints, Alderman and Hogg. He got about one good year out of Warnie before he retired.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Alex, Zampa looks like a fine talent, but his FC bowling average suggests he's not quite there yet. If and when he's there, then by all means, give it a go. I'd suggest that at present SOK is the next in line. Again though, Lyon's age suggests he could basically be the spinner for most of Smith's career unless his form truly abandons him. I agree that there's certainly no harm in giving Agar a go, just as we gave Marsh a go. But you didn't mention Agar in your article, instead you simply dismissed Marsh as a never could be. I just cannot believe that we'd draw a line through a player who captained Australia U19 to a world title as an all rounder, a guy who scored a double century in a FC match against India A at 23. He's struggling and he needs to go away and score heavily with the bat, but he's not "done". I agree there is a failure to use the talent we do have, because we keep looking for talent that matches what we had in the past. The best example of this is the treatment of Nevill. We expected a Gilly and until we get one, we'll keep churning through keepers. Nevill was not to blame for the recent losses. In fact his performance with the bat was better than most.
Alex Wallach
Roar Rookie
Yep and he had retired by the age of 34 (thanks to George Bailey's devastating batting attack). It still doesn't alter the fact that Australia lacks a 'definitive' second spinner. Lyon's won't be here forever.
matth
Guest
Graeme Swan hadn't even debuted at 29. Lyon can be around for a long time yet.
doogs
Guest
Smith's only just started. Too early to tell
Alex Wallach
Roar Rookie
If you were born the year Border took over, I'm older than you mate :P I remember watching Kim Hughes crying his eyes out on the ABC news (which was the only channel available where I lived at the time!) as he announced his retirement. Only history can judge Smith. Which was kind of the point of the article. Further, it was because of Border's gravitas, that the legacy he left behind was such a great one. I don't really get the point about Cook. Cook is 7th on the list of test captaincies (57 tests), and at 42% win ratio is better than Border. Cook has played 249 innings for 10,934 runs at average 46.93. Border had 259 innings for 11,174 at an average of 50.56. Both world class records that stand out from the pack. If 10,000 runs with an 46 average is "decent" I would hate to consider what 'great' requires. If Steve Smith eventual career stats turns out like Cook's, it would be a great result!
Alex Wallach
Roar Rookie
Yep some good points there. I just don't see a 32/33 year old Lyon as offering much. Yes, has gone off the boil a bit, but he came back well in Adelaide to his credit. My observation considered more the fact that there isn't much in the ready reserve category. I like Adam Zampa, he seems like the kind of bowler that gets wickets when you just start to need one. That is a useful trait for a captain to be able to call upon. Ashton Agar, looks like a good option too. Again, my opinion is, if the test is in rebuild, then rebuild with some spinners in mind too. It doesn't necessarily mean cutting Lyon out, but some younger spinners need to be brought in around the team, at least as part of the 15 if not the 12 or 11. Which brings me to Mitch Marsh. Pressure was on. He knew the pressure was on. He still didn't step up. To return to the previous paragraph, why not Agar instead? Kills two birds with one stone; gives a spinner some more experience, and allows for a second spin option in the squad, and gives Mitch some competition that might push him to improve. Further, I did mention by name, that Smith has Warner, Khawaja, Starc, and Hazelwood, which provides "the base of a very good test team." But four or five guys can't continually carry the weight of an entire test squad. Those brought in do need to perform, which is another reason Mitch Marsh is out. I did say Mitch has the option of returning to shield cricket and earning his spot back. Yet, the trend for many players seems to focus on 20/20 dollars at the expense of long game experience. Marsh, with a big hole in his wallet as a consequence of being dropped, might just find it easier to go on the endless 20/20 circuit. I hope he doesn't, I hope he spends a season or two in limbo, maybe even go play some county cricket in England and put himself in the picture for an Ashes call up. But right now he should not be part of the future squad. He had his chance, time to move on. You are right, 95-05, which I would extend to 89-05 -I was at Trent Bridge in 89 and it was a wonderful experience, met Mitch's dad Geoff at the airport in Singapore has he was coming home from that series. Very nice guy, which makes the whole Mitch/Shaun thing that whole much harder, because we all wanted them to become the next hero's of Australian cricket, it just felt like it was meant to be. But it wasn't. Some stories don't get happy endings...anyway- Were the glory days, hence the reference to Gilchrist, as it seems that we now expect every Aussie wicket keeper to bat like him, and every spinner to be like Warnie, etc. Hence that article on Smith, that the Aussie test team is now at a point where it was once before. Yes, we probably won't win like we used to, and Smith should not be judged as such. But, we can move forward from here, with Smith as the captain of the next generation.
Alex Wallach
Roar Rookie
Yep, it is a different game today compared to Border's time. Yes, Smith has more options than Border did; but as you pointed out, poor crowds and television ratings might be more dangerous for Smith now, than Border then. The media may cut his throat. Look what happened to most of the previous captains; Waugh, Ponting, and Clarke, were all hammered in the media toward the end of their careers. That said, if in four or five years, Australian test teams are still losing ten wickets for less than 100 runs on a semi regular basis, Smith should probably go. As for Mark Taylor/Bob Simpson, Smith/Lehmann, I think Lehmann would go before Smith anyway. I think he is lucky Rod Marsh took the bullet this time round. Mark Waugh is number two on the hit list, but Lehmann in my opinion is definitely third. However, I agree, Smith needs to be the center of the Australian team. In that sense, Boof might just be too big of a personality to keep around anyway. Thanks for comments guys. I appreciate it.
Andy
Guest
You have to be young to have written this. I was born the same year that Border took over so he was my first Australia captain i can remember thanks to his lonevity but even as a tiny kid watching cricket with my dad in our dirty brown 80s fashioned lounge with dad in his ridiculously short shorts and him wearing glasses that were too heavy for me to lift until Border was almost retired i knew that Borders greatest legacy wasnt the team he captained or even the ones that came after thanks to him but it was his gravitas. Smith has none of that, he is a little boy and acts like it. Smith as a captain could emulate and compared to Cook but never Border. Cook is Border super light; not a great captain, decent batsman, isnt a yelly type but leads by just going out not getting excited and batting all day and being the rock that the inning is built on. Graeme Smith and Allan Border are both way way too above Steve Smith as he is, Cook should be his aim.
Lancey5times
Guest
Nathan Lyon would be a good guy for Smith to talk to. He played test cricket with Bradman, Benaud, The Chappells, Border and throughout our period of dominance. Knows the words to that team song pretty well as a result and despite being 129yo still has a little bit to offer