Australian cricket has always been kept on a high pedestal after all they are one of the oldest test playing nations in the world after England. Whenever we speak about Australia the conversation invariably turns to multiple times world champions, an era of dominance or the gifted players who have come along. The role of leading the side becomes all the more important as an Australian cricket captain with test matches in particular is seen with a man with lots of responsibility. Australian cricket is in overhaul or let’s say looking for a revamp with Tim Paine under tremendous pressure after the home series loss to India earlier this year despite the opposition being below and ravaged with injuries while the Australians were at full strength, many former greats and experts came out in droves to question Paine’s future as a test captain.
Tim Paine a safe keeper of the throne –
Let’s cast our minds back to Cape Town test match of 2018 the Australian cricket was at its lowest point as the Ball –Tampering or better known as ‘Sandpaper Gate’ had hit the reputation of the Australian cricket board. The two seniors of the team Steve Smith the skipper and opener David Warner the vice-captain had been banned for a year and the captaincy of Steve Smith taken away. Both the cricketers made tearful submissions of the incident and the future looked bleak, that’s when Tim Paine was given the captaincy of the side. It was an unusual choice going against the grain of the Australian selectors and team management, if this loss wasn’t enough the stepping down of Darren Lehmann was also a huge setback for the Australians, who were not only fighting the flares on the field but also off the field. Tim Paine made all the right noises about playing fair and play hair and his first big test was against India later that year and he failed that test as the evenly fought contest saw plenty of verbal barbs with the now infamous “Temporary Captain” jibe by Rishabh Pant. Australia though reposed their faith in Paine who led his team to a creditable draw in the Ashes of 2019. As time grew Paine’s test captaincy showed no signs of improvement and the latest series loss to India was the final straw that broke the camels back as all the voices questioned the future of Tim Paine the skipper and the questions were invariably raised about his successor.
Steve Smith – revisiting the past or a safe bet-
One of the names that have come out strongly in the last few days has been that of the controversial Steve Smith. When he was asked to quit as the skipper of the side there were feelers given that he would not be considered for the captaincy again, but the dearth of leaders in the side means that Steve Smith has been catapulted into the captaincy race again. There is mixed reactions to the possibility of Smith coming back as captain, with legendary Australian player Ian Chappell mincing no words and saying that going back to Smith would be a huge mistake.
Benefits of Smith as the captain – Steve Smith was groomed by Michael Clarke and after the world cup win 2015; Steve Smith took over the mantle of Australian captaincy and had a good time with it before the Cape Town test. He is a shrewd leader and isn’t afraid to take a punt on the field and more over he leads his team by example.
Drawbacks of Smith as the captain-
This has to be a no-brainer as there will be a trust deficit and a certain degree of discomfort when with all the ball tampering past being rekindled. Steve Smith as the captain has a lot of skeletons in the closet that Australian board might not want to revisit and he could be more useful to them as a player and a leading batsman than as a captain as yet another disaster under his watch could spell a PR nightmare for the image conscious Australian cricket board.
Pat Cummins – New Age leader on the horizon –
Australian has never seen a bowler lead a side or been the face of Australian cricket and that could be in for a change if the management decides to hand over the reins to Pat Cummins the best bowler in the world right now. The 28 year old has been spoken about as the best possible candidate available right now and one of the most reassuring presence in the Australian cricket set-up.
Benefits of Cummins as the skipper –
Pat Cummins has endured a lot in his decade old career, when he made his debut for Australia under Clarke on the tour of South Africa in 2011 he was seen as the next big hope for Australian fast bowling along with Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson. The next few years were injury filled as only Starc carried on while Pattinson and Cummins fell by the way side. Once he made his comeback though he showed the early promise and backed it up with the results as he picked up wickets by the heap. If chosen the skipper Australia would have a leader who is well liked and respected amongst his peers and also someone who is the leading fast bowler with the right brains to lead the side. One more aspect would be that he is well respected amongst the fans as he goes about his job quietly.
Drawbacks of Cummins as the skipper –
At 28 years of age, Cummins might be hitting his peak of his cricketing career and as a fast bowler bowling on conditions which may not be bowling friendly can have an effect on him and his body and moreover his overall performances. This could also affect his impact on the team and possibility of having an adverse impact on the side’s overall performance. Pat Cummins as the skipper might seem a novel idea but his history with injury should also be kept in mind as the Australian selectors and think tank will want to preserve their jewel for the longer battles rather sacrifice him for the shorter gains.
The dark horse of the pack – Marnus Labuschagne –
In a few years since his short international career for the baggy green, Marnus Labuschagne has become one of the biggest names in World Cricket as his penchant for scoring runs and scoring them big is what makes him a special talent for the world to see. If there is one player the Cricket Australia might take a punt as the captain it could be the talents of Marnus Labuschagne.
Benefits of Labuschagne as the captain –
Labuschagne in his short international career for Australia has come into the limelight for being a player who takes immense pride in scoring the big runs and is seen as a player who can be counted despite the conditions. He is along with Warner and Smith one of the vital cogs for Australian batting and his century in the Sheffield shield final proves his appetite for runs. Another main factor going his way is that he wasn’t part of the squad which was on that tour of South Africa involved in the ball tampering incident and if Australian cricket wants to start afresh and give a new leash of life to its team Marnus Labuschagne is the man they ought to be looking for.
Drawbacks of Labuschagne as a skipper-
One of the things that may hold the Australian board from handing the captaincy to Labuschagne would be his lack of experience at leading a team and he is just new to international cricket. He still has to tour the subcontinent which is the standard for any international cricketer who wants to make it big. He is also seen as a character that can be unstable in a good sense where he is also looking for the next move rather than being stable in the present.
It is going to be an interesting time as the battle for the oldest and toughest job in World Cricket is about to see its hotly contested race with Tim Paine ready to step down post the Ashes later this year and the three candidates might well have been discovered it’s going to be an interesting few months ahead as not only the Australian fans but also world cricket will be keenly watching the developments at hand about the future of Australian cricket and its next phase which is about to unravel.