Steve Smith pays tribute to BCCI, Cricket Australia after winning Allan Border Medal

Wouldn't surprise me, to be honest. Remember the time when Mark "Junior" Waugh and Shane Warne were merely censured, by CA, for offering pitch and weather info to Pakistanian bookmakers? Seemed like an absolute slap on the wrist at the time too. https://www.dawn.com/news/625192/australian-crickets-big-cover-up-in-94-how-ca-shielded-warne-waugh-in-fixing-scam.

Or maybe CA just reacted after the horse had well-and-truly bolted? Especially because they had no choice but to do so?

Would you be terribly confident if you had been convicted of being a part of a cheating incident and had your national captaincy stripped off you for that very reason? Steve Smith was actually notorious for his "brain-fades" even while he was captain (refer the time he looked up at the dressing room to ask his mates whether he should take a DRS review - something you're explicitly not permitted to do). He continues to have these "brain-fades" even now (refer the batting-guard-erasure episode in the recent Border-Gavascar). Poor Smith - he's a terrific talent, no doubt, but not entirely all there!

I think Cummins and Hazlewood have great personalities too. Enjoyable people. Paine when he isn't trying to be "one of the boys" is also great personality. Warner just sounds and looks dumb. Always has. Smith is as interesting as a white wall in a cookie cutter apartment. Labu I find to be extraordinarily smug and arrogant to be honest. Starc is boring. A conversation with Lyon would probably end pretty quickly once it moves beyond cricket. All in all it's a team of dullards. The only worse thing than having dinner with them would be having dinner with the Australian swim team - easily Australia's most boring group of sportspeople.

Fact is if you give the Captaincy with smith we get carey in progressing and they allows potential for better foreign and arguably keeping as paine is now ageing as he goes on to 37 years of age later this year . It allows a new number 5 to compliment carey's batting at 6 too . It would be way more useful than sticking with the tired formula we've had after this last series defeat . Can give guys like inglis or mcdermott or head a go at number five before a strong carey with bat at 6 . It's time unless you want to delay the inevitable at our own expense with results . England present a challenging ashes later In year then we tour subcontinent we need to get to work on the five and six slots immediately instead of clinging on to the inevitable change and it costing us

Benaud would have had a good dedth stare it’s true but warner was always doing as he pleased lamping players in pubs and fighting In stairwells maybe onky a few captains could have attempted to reign him in..our selectors never drop warner even after the worst average in the ashes in uk for an opening bat of all time

A 25 year old in his 10th Test is fresh but not an idiot, surely? All 3 are guilty. All have served an extensive penalty. 2 continue to be ridiculed and pilloried! 1 is often forgotten, and he was the player who actually did the deed! One person below (Pierro) even states that " ... smith looked up and saw sandpaper like us on screen and just thought wtf has warner done or used". Warner did not apply sandpaper to the ball ... Bancroft did!

Smith's glib lunchtime dismissal of Warner's twisted revenge-seeking scheme was when he first knew of it. Border and Chappelli would've blasted Warner whereas Waugh and Benaud would've reduced him to a puddle with the Death Stare of Disapproval.

I agree in part Pedro. The part l that l have trouble with is that seniority means something. I’m sure Bancroft was, like a pup, looking to ingratiate himself. ——- I think all 3 are guilty and all are for differing reasons.

I agree that Smith has done his time (and probably too much at that) but I also believe that Warner has been crucified as well.

I can't say I was impressed by Smith's captaincy on the field during his first stint. I don't think he is any better tactically than Paine and he had several "brain fades" where he lost his cool in pressure situations. Paine will not go down in the annals as a great Australian captain, but he's done a good job rebuilding a broken team in the last few years, and at the moment I don't see an obvious better alternative. We need to find someone soon though, because Paine will not be around too much longer.

It's a debate pedro did warner or bancroft get off more lightly , I lean to warner getting off lighter but hear you on bancroft but he was following instructions (which is not an absolute defense of course ) or at least we think he was following wanted instructions . I think the fact is smith couldn't have stopped warner if he truely didn't know it was sandpaper being used . Warner was for many years a hot head not sure any captain could control him or predict his next move. If anything there was more of an onus on selectors and ca to discipline him more sooner as he kept going with many incidents in team and many of them.off field

Agreed march fixing is another league to the stock standard issue of ball tampering . If we didn't have idiotd like warner choosing sand paper there would be no incident in first place

I hear you rowdy . Great explanation and reasoning

Our own media didn't help BM, they are shocking and over sensationalised it all and cricket australia carried on like the pc mafia they are

Irs quite funny how forgiving the public are of those with intent to plan ie warner and bancroft vs the negligence in handling the incident thereafter in smith . Sure he's captain but I don't think there's ever been an incident like this and he was in shock that warner messed up so badly as it was almost unpredictable . Cricket australia were poor with no press.conferemce prep.before it . Smith reacted by naturally defending his troops which was wrong but intuitive. He obviously loves australia and the game and isnt the brightest off field but onfield hes.much better tacticslly.than paine . Issue isn't even a debate for me . If he was captain we win headingly , scg and possibly draw gabba

Agree it was cringeful. I have less sympathy for warner he threw out country and smith under the bus with his idiocy . Negligence did occur there after but this incident was blown so far out of proportion it's.not funny . Other countries have been loving it ..cricket sth Africa or the ecb would have swept this under table and reversed a three match ban at worse maybe warner gets more time for intent . They also would have briefed the players before conferences and taken control of the incident

Micko you think two years ! No other nation has gone more than one match ban I think and usually they cover it up and reverse it . Not our PC mob in aus. Granted sanctions were needed . I find it amazing how warner has been accepted back so readily seeing he clearly had intent from onset to use sand paper . There's every.chance smith looked up and saw sandpaper like us on screen and just thought wtf has warner done or used , the tactic was probably to rough the ball up but not using sandpaper ..honestly smiths done enough time on this . Way to.much . He's a better captain than paine and most.likely would have had won headingly , scg tests and drawn at gabba with better fields and more agreessive tactics . If we won the ashes series outright and best india or.drew the series we'd all feel alot better than debating how we feel about smiths press conference negligence and off field persona

I think alot of leaders may have reacted In shock and cricket australia and management were poor and didn't get to him soon enough pre post match conferences . I really don't have a problem with smith captaining again. AND I Agree he's not the best off field but think he will be a lot sterner on that front now and better off for the sa.debarcle . Onfield he will be more agreessive and set better fields. If rather be sitting here with series wins at headingly and scg as test wins and possibly a draw at gabba if we got more wickets with better fields . Then we could be debating the succession plan for smith in coming years now ..it's that simple instead we are stuck withe.medicore results and a long lay off of test cricket with covid where a.mediocre tactician captain leads us in to the ashes by default really and even if we win it it won't be down to tim paine , he may actually cost us dearly again delaying carey's development and mistakes.

I don't think smith embezzled though jeff that denotes he planned the sandpaper , you are speculating a bit here on the facts mate . It's not a great metaphor . His reaction was negligent . More to the point he's done his time I think yes for the offield negligence he can captain again . If he had real intent from the offset then no he shouldn't captain but I think media and public need to get over it as it's arguable he's been villified way to much and warner has got away with the embezzlement you speak of