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Tim Paine was last night appointed interim Australian captain for the rest of the third Test in the wake of Steve Smith’s admission of ball tampering. But Paine’s tenure as skipper should extend beyond that now-concluded Test.
Smith’s position as Australian captain is untenable after he admitted a decision to cheat had been made by the side’s leadership group, which is believed to include he, David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon.
Just before the start of play last night, Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland announced Smith and David Warner would stand down as captain and vice-captain for the remainder of the match in Cape Town.
“This Test match needs to proceed, and in the interim we will continue to investigate this matter with the urgency that it demands,” he said.
While that’s all well and good for this Test, neither Smith nor Warner should be allowed to play in the final Test, and both men should be officially stripped of their leadership positions.
That would leave only three members of the current side as realistic options to take over as permanent Test captain – wicketkeeper Paine, all-rounder Mitch Marsh and young quick Pat Cummins.
(AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Marsh is the only member of that trio who captains his state and was impressive in his leadership with Western Australia this summer. The 26-year-old is known to be extremely popular with his Australian teammates and has long been viewed as a strong leader, having captained the Australian under-19 team also.
Former Australian opener Simon Katich just weeks ago endorsed Marsh as the natural successor to Smith, although Katich wouldn’t have envisioned such a handover coming so quickly.
It would, however, be a huge burden for Marsh to carry given he is still trying to find his way as a Test cricketer.
He may have been in great form since returning to the Test team during the Ashes, but that’s still a small sample size of just six Tests. Heaving the captaincy onto his shoulders would be a great risk, particularly given the controversy which has engulfed his team. Marsh surely would be better left to focus on his continued development.
Just like Marsh, Cummins was this month put forth as a potential Australian captain by a high-profile former player. Former Australian skipper Michael Clarke said he believed Cummins was the captain-in-waiting.
Cummins has an advantage over Marsh in that he is well and truly cemented in the Test team, having been consistently excellent across his 12-match career. Right now he is arguably Australia’s best and most reliable Test bowler.
Barring injury, Cummins looks set to be a permanent member of the Australian Test XI for many years to come. He also appears to have a great temperament for captaincy – he is fiercely competitive and dedicated, but also very level-headed, rarely ever seen losing his cool.
The major disadvantage Cummins has it that he’s a bowler and Australia have long preferred their skippers to be batsmen. Not since leg spinner Richie Benaud finished up 55 years ago has a bowler captained the Australian Test team.
The main theory behind that is batsmen have more energy and more time while in the field to analyse the game and make tactical decisions, while bowling captains can worry about either under-bowling or over-bowling themselves.
If Australia are to pick a new captain, and it comes from outside the leadership group, the best choice would be wicketkeeper Tim Paine. The 33-year-old has captained Tasmania and was widely viewed as a potential future Australian skipper when he made his Test debut as a 25-year-old, before his career was marred by persistent injuries.
(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Like Marsh and Cummins, Paine appears from the outside to have generous respect among his teammates and the Cricket Australia hierarchy. He’s also been a strong on-field leader since returning to the Test team for the recent Ashes, regularly seen in apparent tactical discussions with Smith.
Similar to Cummins, Paine is not a hot head and seems to have a calming influence on those around him, which is just what Australia require amid this maelstrom.
Crucially, Paine has locked down his Test spot for some time to come by excelling in the wicketkeeper role, which had been an Achilles Heel of the Australian team for years before he returned.
Not only has his glovework been top-notch but Paine has also been extremely consistent with the bat, making 329 runs at 47 from eight matches, including eight scores of 24-plus from 11 innings.
Smith simply cannot continue as captain, but who will replace him for good is anyone’s guess.