Ashes Series: McGrath, Taylor wants ‘Steve Smith back as Australia’s captain’ should Paine miss out – Australian legends Mark Taylor and Glenn McGrath have thrown their weight behind Steve Smith to be the Australian captain with doubts over Tim Paine’s fitness ahead of the Ashes. Paine struggled to respond to treatment and was forced to go down the surgery route and is now racing against time to be fit for the Ashes, with a November return expected, just weeks before the series kicks off. Pat Cummins is the vice-captain of the Australian team, but legends have thrown their support behind Smith, who was sacked from the spot after his involvement in the Newlands ball-tampering saga.
Also Read: Ashes: England could field under-strength squad for Ashes as ECB rules out postponement
Fast bowling legend Glenn McGrath backed Steve Smith taking over the role while citing that captaincy will just add on to Pat Cummins workload, which wouldn’t be ideal. McGrath said, “I think Steve Smith should be captain again. There are a few people that may agree or disagree with me but he’s the obvious choice if you take it for who should, on merit, be captain. It’ll be interesting to see how Tim Paine pulls up and what they do.”
Steve Smith-led Australia from 2014 to 2018 and boasted a record of 18 wins, 10 losses and six draws from his 34 Tests in charge. He also held an improved batting average of 70.36 while skipper and clocked up 15 centuries.
McGrath added, “Pat Cummins is vice-captain and next in line you would have thought, but I have a theory. Fast bowlers can be captain, they’re the most intelligent in the team, but the way I look at it is when a batsman is batting he can concentrate solely on his batting, whereas a bowler when he’s bowling is constantly thinking about who’s bowling at the next end, what change is coming up and where the game is heading. I just think the workload for a fast bowler is a little bit much.”
Just in: Aussie Test Captain Tim Paine will undergo surgery in Hobart today to repair a pinched nerve in his neck. He is expected to return to training later this month. Having the surgery now should allow plenty of time for Tim to be ready for the Ashes.
— Chloe-Amanda Bailey (@ChloeAmandaB) September 13, 2021
Glenn McGrath’s former teammate Mark Taylor also echoed the same sentiment and also threw his support behind Smith. Taylor, speaking to Wide World of Sports, said, “I wouldn’t rule out Steve Smith to come back and captain Australia. I think enough time, enough water has gone under the bridge since 2018 and what happened in South Africa. Pat Cummins would certainly be in the pole position given he’s the vice-captain at the moment. I think Australia have options. I was absolutely surprised about the Tim Paine news.”
However, Adam Gilchrist believes Pat Cummins should take up the mantle should the opportunity arise, insisted he shouldn’t be pigeonholed just because he’s a fast bowler and praised the 28-year-old’s leadership qualities. Speaking to SEN, Gilchrist said, “Pat Cummins is literally the type of leader that Australian cricket admires, and the players acknowledge and respect. I think he is the leader by way of being at the top of the pack to assume that position. Be it the first Test at the Gabba, the first Test of the next summer or whenever the next Test cricket is after this summer, whenever Tim Paine does finish up. It is inevitably getting closer, the changing of the guard at the top, and I think Pat is the gentleman that’s positioned highest in readiness to take over. For a certain individual, I don’t think anyone should be pigeonholed.”
