Steven Smith not Australia's only captaincy candidate, proclaims Earl Eddings

Tim Paine, ever since taking the Australian Test captaincy, has grown in stature as a statesman and not only has he spearheaded one of the most challenging periods in cricket history, he has become a tactician par excellence in making the side a competent unit. However, Steve Smith’s performance and the remarkable run of form in formats have prompted many to say if the time is ripe for the New South Welshman to regain the role back but Cricket Australia thinks otherwise.

"First of all, we've got three great captains in Meg, Aaron and Tim. We've got some great young leaders coming through. So it's not just about should Steve take over, it's about what's best overall. Steve's a great young man and he was a good captain when he was there. Like any succession, there's planning in place. Have we sat down as a board specifically to discuss the next captain? No we haven't,” Eddings told ESPNcricinfo. 

In the T20 series, once Aaron Finch suffered an injury, Matthew Wade led the side, albeit in a losing cause. Earlier, Pat Cummins, Travis Head, and Alex Carey have all been deputy to the respective captains and that played as a grooming ground for a future leadership role. Eddings stressed on the same, stating that they will abide by the recommendations provided by the selection panel. 

"But I think over a period of time we've given a range of people options to be vice-captain, Matthew Wade was already vice-captain, so we're seeing that and it gives us an opportunity to look at the future leaders of Australian cricket. We'll be guided by the recommendations of the selection panel, they always come back to our board at the right time with their recommendation, and we'll go through it in detail when they do that."