3 New captains Australia should look for in Test cricket

Considering his batting performances and captaincy record, it is definitely time for Australia to look beyond Tim Paine.

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Tim Paine
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Tim Paine. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Post the Michael Clarke era, Steve Smith took over the mantle in Test cricket and went on to lead Australia for a total of 34 Tests. He won 18 out of these games and did a fair job. However, some unfortunate incidents in South Africa in 2018 resulted in his ban midway through the series. With David Warner also facing the ban, Australia was forced to make Tim Paine the skipper of the side.

Ever since he has taken over the leadership, the wicket-keeper batsman has failed to lead the side to glory. His side lost to Pakistan in the UAE. Then, after over seven decades, Australia lost a Test series to India while playing at home. Paine tasted his first success as the leader against a weakened Sri Lanka team. Currently, the ongoing Ashes series is also on the line and all this while, the present skipper has made some grave mistakes at times.

Some of the games slipped out of Australia’s hands right in front of his eyes and he couldn’t really do much in these pressure situations. Moreover, in the 21 innings where he batted under his own leadership, Tim Paine has only scored 436 runs at an average of about 23. Thus, it looks quite inevitable that the selectors look for someone beyond him to take up the leadership next. In such a scenario, there are three or four options Australia can explore.

Test captain alternatives Australia can look at:

1. Steve Smith

Steve Smith
Steve Smith. (Photo by Visionhaus)

Apart from the ongoing Ashes series, Australia will only play another five Test matches until early November 2020. While two games will be against Pakistan, the remaining three will be played against New Zealand. As per the current schedule, they wouldn’t play red-ball cricket for about ten months starting from January 2020.

Thus, for these five games, Cricket Australia can possibly continue with Tim Paine at the helm. It shouldn’t make a whole difference overall and the wicket-keeper batsman will also get an opportunity to prove his potential in the meantime. Steve Smith’s captaincy ban ends on 29 March 2020 and then he will be eligible to take up the leadership yet again.

So, for the Test matches that will be played later on, he can lead the side once more. After the ban, he seems a much more determined individual and will put in his best efforts for the upliftment of Australian cricket. If given the chance, he can reclaim his lost stake and can possibly lead Australia for many more years to come.

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