It's Time To Look Ahead, Not In The Rear-Vision Mirror - Ian Chappell Against Steve Smith's Reappointment As Captain

Former Australia captain Ian Chappell opines that the board and selectors should not re-instate Steve Smith as the captain when Tim Paine relinquishes his duties.

With two series losses to India at home – the last one against a depleted opposition – and the age of 36, Paine, who replaced Smith in the aftermath of the 2018 Cape Town Sandpaper gate scandal, is likely to hang his boots after the Ashes later in the year.

There have been calls for Smith to be re-appointed as the skipper of the side, not least from Paine who has given his support to the former skipper. However, Ian Chappell reckons that the selectors would be moving backwards if they put Smith at the helm again, and they should instead move forward.

“I think it’s time to move on. To me, if you go back to Smith, you’re going backwards. It’s time to look ahead, not in the rear-vision mirror,” Ian Chappell said in an interview with the Wide World Of Sports.

I don’t think it should count against Pat Cummins, even if they decide the bowlers did know: Ian Chappell

Regarding the Sandpaper gate event, Cameron Bancroft, who used the sandpaper to tamper the ball, has recently hinted that there were more people than just himself, Smith, and David Warner, who were aware of the fact that the ball was being tampered – indicating the bowlers in the game, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, and Nathan Lyon.

Ian Chappell believes that irrespective of the fact that Cummins, the current vice-captain, knew about it or not, that shouldn’t affect his captaincy claim for the future. He feels it should have been Smith who should have stopped it and needs to cop all the blame.

“If people start jumping up and down about Pat Cummins captaining Australia if he knew, well the answer is pretty clear because it falls back on Smith. He’s the bloke who should have stopped it. The captain’s got the overall say and power to stop it, and he didn’t. I don’t think it should count against Pat Cummins, even if they decide the bowlers did know. Smith is the bloke who should have made sure the whole thing never started,” the 77-year-old opined.

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