Smith is a popular choice and Warner is a shrewd one, says Bob
Tuesday 18 August 2015 18:29, UK
Bob Willis explains how new Australia captain Steve Smith will be judged and why Cricket Australia have been wise in appointing David Warner as his deputy…
Was Steve Smith the right choice or the only choice to be the next Australia captain? A bit of both, I’d say.
He did an excellent job while standing in for Michael Clarke against India over the winter but there was a lack of other candidates with many of the older statesmen seemingly on their way out.
I don’t think Smith will have any problem being aggressive but he will have to quickly deal with being the senior batter in the side and the man who must get runs on the board.
That is his main job going forward and I guess not having Clarke in the ranks will help him do that.
"I think it’s good for Australia that Clarke, who didn’t seem to be universally popular either within the team or with the Australian public, won't muddy the waters."
I always found it odd that Ricky Ponting stayed in the side after giving up the captaincy - that was very un-Australian - and I think it’s good for the team that Clarke, who didn’t seem to be universally popular either within the team or with the Australian public, won't be muddying the waters.
Smith will enjoy starting with a blank piece of paper and I think Australia fans will enjoy seeing him in the top job - he is their Joe Root and one of the finest young players in the game.
You would imagine that Smith’s side should win their next two series at home, against New Zealand and West Indies, fairly comfortably, but he will be judged on Australia’s results away, with success on the road becoming harder and harder for international teams.
Smith will be aided, of course, by David Warner, with the opener named as vice-captain.
It’s a move that may raise eyebrows in some quarters but Warner has matured a lot since he had a late-night fracas with Joe Root and ridiculed Jonathan Trott in public.
I see it as a very exciting move by Cricket Australia to have a maverick like him in a decision-making capacity - he is very passionate about playing for his country and will never go into his shell.
As for the departing Clarke, I think he has been badly let down by his batsmen and, to some extent his bowlers, in the Ashes, especially after how well they did at Lord’s in the second Test.
Ponting was primarily seen as a good captain because he had Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath to fall back on, but Clarke hasn’t that luxury and things have sort of imploded for him.
You can never underplay, however, how much of a toll the death of Phillip Hughes and the subsequent public mourning took on Clarke.
Add in the fact he has had to fight back from serious back and hamstring injuries and you can understand why he is perhaps burnt out, but it is sad to see him go at a relatively young age.
In his prime as a batsman, Clarke was a wonderful player of spin bowling - he would come down the pitch and demolish very good spinners, something that immediately rubbed off onto Smith.
It was Clarke’s hallmark, it probably will be his legacy, and it was something I loved watching.
I’m sure there are plenty of people that would begrudge him a farewell hundred at The Oval but it would be nice for him to get one so he can bow out with a smile on his face.
He deserves a great send-off.
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