Steve Smith is set to lead Australia in the upcoming second and final Test of their series against the West Indies. After regular skipper Pat Cummins has been ruled out with a quadricep strain. Smith has captained 35 Test matches in his career, winning 19 of them. The right-handed batsman’s tenure as full-time captain came to an abrupt end in 2018 due to the ball-tampering scandal in the Cape Town Test against South Africa.
Steve Smith’s ban expires in March 2020
Following the ball-tampering controversy. Cricket Australia (CA) banned Smith as well as senior opener David Warner for 12 months. While Cameron Bancroft was banned for nine months. Smith was also banned from captaining Australia for two years. The 33-year-old captain’s ban expired in March 2020, and he was appointed vice-captain of the Test team last year.
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In addition, he led the Australian team after a gap of three years when he was named as the stand-in captain for the team’s second Ashes Test in December 2021. After Cummins was unavailable for selection due to a COVID-19 scare.
See some fans react as Smith leads Aussies for pink-ball Test
Several fans took to social media to react to the news of Smith leading the Australian team for the pink-ball Test against the West Indies. While some fans shared their enthusiasm, some supporters criticized the board for the move.
Notably, Cummins injured his right quadricep during the Test series opener and did not bowl an over during the second innings. Right-arm fast bowler Scott Boland will replace the star fast bowler in the team for the second and final match.
