IND vs AUS | Wouldn’t rule out Steve Smith captaining Australia in the future, opines Mark Taylor

Since Tim Paine took over as Australia’s skipper in the longest format, the changes have been immaculate and immediate. Not only has the Australian cricket team transcended into a different unit but also the results have been there to look at. At home, since he took over, Australia have just lost the one Test series against India, without two of their best Test batsmen in David Warner and Steve Smith. 

In spectacular fashion, the Australian keeper also managed to lead the team over the line against England away from home, a feat unheard of in the last decade. Former Australian skipper Mark Taylor opined that he wouldn’t rule out the right-handed Smith as the captain of the side in the future. 

“Yes, some mistakes were made a couple of years ago, I still feel to the day he was very wary of the mistakes he made and I don’t think it would happen again. I wouldn’t rule him (Smith) out of captaining Australia in the future,” Taylor was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald, reported Hindustan Times. 

“I think the thing that will potentially go against him is how long Tim Paine will play for. If he’s still there at 37, 38, then it might be too late for Steve. Conversely, if in the next year or so Tim’s form or he gives it away, I’d like to think Steve would be considered,” he added.

However, Taylor’s words did not come in as pulling down Paine’s leadership, which the former Australian skipper hailed as a ‘great’ job. In the 19 Tests that he has led the side, the Baggy Greens have won ten encounters, with six of them being a loss while the other three a draw. He also credited the Tasmanian for heralding the side in bad times, with good spirits. 

“I think he’s done a very good job, don’t get me wrong, but I also think he took over at such a hard time and the cricket side was at such a low there was a lot of room for improvement, put it that way. There’s no doubt he was made captain because he was a senior cricketer in Australian cricket, with his head screwed on right, and therefore he was the right man for the job at the right time,” he added.