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.
Akkara
Guest
We need brains and maturity leading the test team over the next few years. Khawaja is the man. The captain of the Sheffield shield winning team, Queensland, with an Aeronautics degree and commercial pilot licence has great mental fortitude, determination, resilience and maturity far above any other candidate, making him the most suitable to captain the test team at this time. Furthermore he has a clean reputation. While Paine is an option, he does not have the smarts to handle the current situation, and if cultural change is what is being implemented, a keeper whose role has been to continuously sledge the batsman, will find it hard so change his spots.
Red Kev
Roar Guru
He was just looking at old numbers, it was 44.08 before this test, and as Bunny posts 42.47 after the Newlands test.
Kieran
Guest
It's tough but fair.
Kieran
Guest
If it was sandpaper, Bancroft shouldn't be further sanctioned - he has inflicted enough punishment on himself by sticking it into his jocks.
Bunney
Roar Rookie
42.47
Rupesh
Guest
I think AB Devillers is the greatest slip catcher right now. But he rarely stand at slip.
Uk_Ozpat
Guest
Meanwhile England’s win-less streak away from home has extended to 12 Tests. That equals their worst-ever run in Test history. Woeful. ------- How did Oz go when they played away series in England and India??? :) I remember a lot of Oz whingeing in both series!
HB
Guest
Lol. [In a condescendingly matter-of-fact tone] ‘Smithy didn’t cheat as well as he would have liked. And he knows that. It’s just a matter of him executing his plans better next time. And he knows that.’ [Sharp intake of breath through lips that are pursed too close together for breathing to be efficient] Wow I have clearly watched too many banal interviews with this surprisingly irritating man.
Don Freo
Guest
But Mitch was fined in the last match.
Don Freo
Guest
He'd say nothing (as he always did) and everyone would call him wise and concise. Richie was NSW. It is interesting that the leadership group was Smith, Warner, Hazlewood, Lyon and Starc. Now there's a common denominator...some would say the lowest. The punishment is simple. Disqualify NSW from the Sheffield Shield.
Kris
Guest
What would Richie do?
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Be careful of your back John while you're shifting those goalposts
mmacter
Guest
Lehmann probably would say,"we couldn't cheat as well as we would have liked."
Cadfael
Roar Guru
My only issue with Paine is that the selectors have been very reluctant over the years to piuck a keeper as captain except in one off circumstances. Similarly, the last bowler to captain Australia on a regular basis was Benaud.It wouldn't surprise to see Mitch Marsh appointed.
Steele
Guest
Thanks John! Whatever suits the writers narrative I suppose. My eyes bulged when I read the comments about his bowling. All I’m saying is I’m not sold on Marsh as our number six going forward. I saw this series as a true test to all of our batsman. But I did have a keen interest on the younger Marsh boy as he did fill his boots on some pretty decent tracks. The talk was that he had ‘cracked the code’ as such. I’m not interested in comparing him to his contemporaries as they have generally outperformed him more times than not. I’m interested in what he does, and currently he’s averaging 28 in an important series. His career average is 29. This is not ‘great form’.
Steele
Guest
No doubt he’s improved Ronan. Just think the endless back slapping has been a bit OTT. He was coming from a low base. Forget the Ashes, it wasn’t a Masterclass. They were roads. Blokes like Maxy weren’t afforded the same opportunities.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
Exactly Steele. No Australian batsman has been great this series. A few have played one good innings and had a couple of starts. Bancroft is our leading run scorer with 223 runs @ 37.17. Warner 217 @ 36.17, Mitch Marsh 172 @ 28.67, Smith 142 @ 23.67, Shaun Marsh 124 @ 20.67 and Khawaja 105 @ 17.50. Acting captain, Tim Paine, leads the Australian batting averages with 146 runs @ 48.67. Even our best this series is good but not great, despite three unbeaten innings. De Villiers is averaging 88 against our world beating attack, Markram and Elgar 48 and 46 respectively. To be fair to Mitch Marsh, he did have a good three Ashes tests, on pretty flat pitches, scoring 320 runs @ 106.67. He has also taken a few wickets this series, despite only bowling on average 7 overs. per test. I am not sure I would support Ronan's "repeatedly taken massive wickets" claim though. Firstly, Marsh has only taken 4 wickets this series, so there is not much "repeatedly". Secondly, his wickets include Markram after his brilliant 143, (so yes a big wicket there although its a bigger wicket when he is only 20 not 140), du Plessis for 9 in the 2nd test, (Faf can't make a run this series but he is still a key wicket), followed by de Bruyn for 1, (a guy averaging 10 in test cricket isn't exactly massive) and finally Philander for 8 at Newlands in the middle of the Cummins-inspired collapse.
DavSA
Guest
Here is what is going to happen comes the Wanderers Test . South Africa are hell bent on winning the series. It has never happened in SA since the our re-introduction into world cricket and needs to be put right. The Proteas almost always play well at The Wanderers and will literally throw the kitchen sink at the Aussies . How Australia respond is important . This may well be the most important game of these players careers. Aussies clearly have the ability to beat SA but mentally this is going to be hard yards. Each and every player will have to introspect and dig deep into their own psyche . Then as a team they need to do the same thing. A win will help hugely with public opinion which from what I can gather is pretty toxic . Pride can be partially restored , but it is going to be a massive test of character .
Bob Pacey
Guest
I'd plump for Maxwell simply because Smith and Lehman don't like him.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
How many changes are we expecting for the next test? Australia only has one spare bat (Handscombe) in the squad. If there is more than 1 batsman out (including Smith) then why not send out a player like Bailey to both captain and bat for this test only. Then bring them home and reassess the situation.