Australia’s Test Captain: Pat Cummins, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith mooted as options after Tim Paine resigns following sexting controversy – Australia have been dealt a major blow after Test captain Tim Paine has announced his resignation following the revelation of his sexting scandal from 2017. Paine announced his resignation in a press conference on Friday, ending his tenure as skipper which last for over three years. Australia will now be looking at a new skipper, with Pat Cummins, Marnus Labuschagne and event Steve Smith considered as options.
Australia’s Test Captain: Pat Cummins, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith mooted as options after Tim Paine resigns following sexting controversy
As reported in Australian media, Pat Cummins, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith are the potential candidates to replace Tim Paine as Australia’s Test captain after the wicketkeeper’s resignation on Friday. The timing is not the most opportune with the Aussies preparing for a home Ashes series that kicks off next month.
Here Insidesport.in looks at the contenders for Australia’s Test captain
Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins, the incumbent vice-captain, is the favourite for the role with former players having previously backed the fast bowler to take over the reins. No bowler has captained the Australian team since Richie Benaud in 1964 and it will be a huge moment in Australian history should Cummins be appointed captain, who recently completed a decade in the international arena.
The fast bowler is a regular across all three formats and had earlier this year said, “At the moment I haven’t got too much experience at all, just a couple of warm-up games in England and other than that it’s Under-16s cricket when I last captained. So for sure it’s something that’s going to be more on the radar.”
Cummins, who is also the NSW one-day captain, was asked if he was ready to step up should Paine be unavailable for any reason. “I guess so. I’ve been in the role for a couple of years now. I’ll be ready if I have to, but I doubt that,” he said on Tuesday, well before news of Paine’s resignation.
Marnus Labuschagne
Marnus Labuschagne is what fits the definition of a cricket nerd and the middle order bat could very well be groomed into a leader for years to come. Should he be appointed, the 27-year-old will become one of the youngest captains in Australian cricket. Labuschagne has captained several underage Queensland teams and is expected to lead the country one day but appointing him captain ahead of his debut Ashes might be a call too early.
Australia’s Test Captain: Pat Cummins, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith mooted as options after Tim Paine resigns following sexting controversy
Steve Smith
Tim Paine’s sexting scandal is the latest scandal to rock Australian cricket, the last being the Sandpaper gate which handed Paine the armband in the first place in 2018. Steve Smith, the then captain was handed a 12-month suspension and was banned from captaining any side for two years. Now that the suspension is over, Smith could very well be in the mix, especially considering that he remains a vital cog and a senior member in the setup. Smith was handed the captaincy of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020, but it would be a very bold move for Australia to reinstate him after a major scandal.
