To Me If You Go Back To Smith, You're Going Backwards: Ian Chappell Suggests Who Should Captain Australia Next

Former Australian skipper Ian Chappell has strongly suggested who the next captain should be of the Australian team. With Tim Paine’s underwhelming results as Test captain and age not on his side, there are increasing debates circling around his successor. Ian Chappell believes that no matter what emerges out of Cameron Bancroft’s claims, pacer Pat Cummins should be their next leader.

Cameron Bancroft’s recent interview with The Guardian has put the bowlers, including Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, and Pat Cummins, under the spotlight since he indicated that the knowledge of the ball-tampering extended beyond him, Steve Smith, and David Warner. While former skipper Smith remains a strong contender, experts have also earmarked Cummins to take up the position.

Ian Chappell believes that it does not matter whether or not Pat Cummins knew an illegal activity took place, the buck stops with Steve Smith. Chappell claimed that Smith had to be the one holding it back and ensured the whole thing never began. He also thinks that reverting to Smith captaining would mean that Australian cricket is not moving forward.

“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. 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,” Chappell told Wide World of Sports.

It’s probably something that’s been on Bancroft’s chest for a while: Ian Chappell

Ian Chappell commented that Cameron Bancroft had probably waited to get things off his chest and he did as diplomatically as he could. His revelations do not surprise the South Australian and believes that it has been going for a long time

“It’s probably something that’s been on Bancroft’s chest for a while, and he’s tried to get it off his chest as diplomatically as he possibly could. I’m not surprised, because Bancroft’s one of only three that got pinged for what happened, and most people would realise that there was more than three people involved. And any attempt to tell you it was the first time it happened is wrong, that’s glaringly obvious as well,” he added.

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