Steve Smith Has Wiped The Slate Clean And Can Lead Australia Again, Says Jason Gillespie

Former Australian pacer, Jason Gillespie has said that he won’t be upset if Steve Smith is given back the captaincy duty of the Australian cricket team. He feels that the cricketer has suffered more than he should have.

Cricket Australia banned Steve Smith along with David Warner and Cameron Bancroft for their involvement in the infamous ball-tampering saga against South Africa in March 2018.

Smith was handed a year ban from cricket, and an additional year from the captaincy role. Warner cannot become Australia’s captain for a lifetime, as he was the one who developed the plan of ball-tampering and instructed Cameron Bancroft to use sandpaper on the ball. Tim Paine was given the captaincy in Test cricket, and Aaron Finch in limited-overs cricket.

After serving their bans, the trio has made their comeback in international cricket. Warner was Australia’s leading run-scorer in the World Cup, and Smith was the leading scorer in the Ashes which Australia retained for the first time in England in 18 years.

As Smith’s captaincy ban has ended, the question which Cricket Australia has to ponder about is should Smith be reinstated as the Test captain, or continue with Tim Paine.

Steve Smith is a natural leader: Jason Gillespie

Jason Gillespie, in a recent interview, said that at the time of the incident in South Africa he was furious with Smith, and wouldn’t want him to lead Australia ever again. However, with time the fast bowler has softened his stance. Gillespie believes that the three cricketers were banned from the game for a lot more time for their ball-tampering mistake.

In fact, ICC banned Steve Smith for just one Test match and a 100 per cent match fees penalty, but it was indeed Cricket Australia who banned him for a year. Jason Gillespie opined that Smith is a natural leader and won’t mind if the Sydney cricketer is given the captaincy back.

Speaking to Sportstar, Jason Gillespie said, “When the whole ball-tampering incident happened in Cape Town, I didn’t think Steve Smith would captain Australia again. That said, I have softened my stance on that upon reflection.

“These guys have paid a bigger price than anyone else in the history of the game had to pay for an offense like that. It’s almost like you do the crime, you do the time, and wipe the slate clean. Steve Smith is a natural leader, and if he is appointed Test captain after Tim Paine, I wouldn’t be upset about that.”

The New South Wales seamer talks about the alternate options for the captaincy role in the team. He says that while Pat Cummins is a smart and hard-working cricketer, bowlers are not traditionally made captains as it will affect their bowling. The 45-year-old reckons that Travis Head is another fine alternate as the left-hander has been leading South Australia since he was a youngster.

Jason Gillespie continued, “There are other options available, like Pat Cummins. Could a fast bowler do that role (of captaincy)? It’s traditionally not the done thing… If fast bowlers are given captaincy roles, they tend to either over-bowl or under-bowl themselve.

“I feel we should leave the bowlers be the bowlers… I think a batsman or a ’keeper should take the captaincy reins. That said, I am not ruling out the possibility of Cummins taking over the role. Travis Head is another option; he has been captaining South Australia since the age of 20 – he is a vastly experienced leader.”

Australia will host India in six limited-overs games and four Test matches. The hosts lost their previous series to the visitors, however, with the return of Smith and Warner the Australian team looks firm favourites of regaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

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