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Cricket Players‘Paid bigger price than anyone else in history of the game’: Jason Gillespie says he ‘wouldn’t be upset’ if Steve Smith captains Australia again
Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie was asked the same question in a recent interview and he said that he would not be upset if Smith returns as Australia captain as he has already paid for his crime.
The ball-tampering incident of 2018 had left the cricketing world shocked because there were some big names attached to the incident. Both Steve Smith and David Warner - who were the captain and vice-captain of the team, respectively, at the time, were banned for 12 months - and the latter was also given a lifetime ban on ever being given a leadership role in Australia cricket.
The door to return as Australia captain, though, was left open for Steve Smith, and now that the two players have returned and settled back into the teams, questions are being raised if Smith should replace Tim Paine as Australia Test captain.
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Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie was asked the same question in a recent interview and he said that he would not be upset if Smith returns as Australia captain as he has already paid for his crime.
“When the whole ball-tampering incident happened in Cape Town, I didn’t think Steve Smith would captain Australia again. That said, I have softened my stance on that upon reflection,” Gillespie told Sportstar.
“These guys have paid a bigger price than anyone else in the history of the game had to pay for an offence like that. It’s almost like you do the crime, you do the time, and wipe the slate clean. Steve Smith is a natural leader, and if he is appointed Test captain after Tim Paine, I wouldn’t be upset about that,” he added.
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“There are other options available, like Pat Cummins. Could a fast bowler do that role (of captaincy)? It’s traditionally not the done thing... If fast bowlers are given captaincy roles, they tend to either over-bowl or under-bowl themselves,” he further said.
“I feel we should leave the bowlers be the bowlers... I think a batsman or a ’keeper should take the captaincy reins. That said, I am not ruling out the possibility of Cummins taking over the role. Travis Head is another option; he has been captaining South Australia since the age of 20 – he is a vastly experienced leader,” Gillespie signed off.
