Smith eligible for captaincy again as 2-year ban ends
Steve Smith’s two-year leadership ban ended quietly yesterday, leaving him eligible again to captain Australia at a time of uncertainty over when international cricket will resume.
Smith was stripped of the captaincy and banned from leading Australia for two years over his involvement in the 2018 ball tampering scandal in South Africa. His sentence ended yesterday and he can again captain Australia if called upon. Australian players were due this week to conclude a series of matches in New Zealand and, for some, to join the Indian Premier League. But it wasn’t clear yesterday if the IPL will take place this year and when international matches will resume. Australia’s scheduled mid-year tours to England and Bangladesh are in doubt. Smith told Channel Nine television’s Sports yesterday he is doing his best to stay mentally and physically fit, training in his home gym, going on 10-kilometer runs and practising the guitar. It seems unlikely Smith will return to the captaincy when cricket resumes. Tim Paine is firmly established as Australia’s test captain. Aaron Finch has captained Australia successfully in white ball cricket. Smith, 30, captained the team until he was suspended for 12 months over a brazen attempt to alter the ball with sandpaper under his watch during a test in Cape Town in 2018. Part of his punishment included a further year-long exile from any leadership role. Co-conspirator and former vice captain David Warner was banned from any leadership role for life, although both have successfully resumed their international careers.
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