Written by Steve Smith lost his position as Captain of the Australian Cricket team in 2018 following the infamous ball-tampering scandal. The former captain says he was not involved in planning to tamper with the ball during the Cape Town test against South Africa but as the leader, he took responsibility for failing to put a stop to it.
“To all of my teammates, to fans of cricket all over the world and to all Australians who are disappointed and angry: I’m sorry. Tonight, I want to make it clear as captain of the Australian cricket team, I take full responsibility. I made a serious error of judgement and I now understand the consequences. It was a failure of leadership, on my leadership. I’ll do everything I can to make up for my mistake and the damage it’s caused. If any good can come from this, if it can be a lesson to others, then I hope I can be a force for change. I know I will regret this for the rest of my life. I’m absolutely gutted. I hope in time I can earn back respect and forgiveness.” – Steve Smith
The board of Cricket Australia will decide whether Steve Smith can return to the captaincy of the Australian men’s team at its next board meeting. This right after Smith’s public comments that he is interested in a return to the captaincy after the ‘sandpapergate’ incident. Smith’s talents as a cricketer are unquestionably evident, on the International Cricket Council’s all-time Test batting rankings, Smith currently is in the number two position, behind the legendary Don Bradman. It is for Australian cricket coach, Justin Langer, and the board to judge the best move. There are no questions about Smith’s laudable cricketing qualifications, but there are questions about his broader leadership qualities.
Test legend Greg Chappell declared in a recent interview that Steve Smith could certainly take up the captaincy again but suggests that for his own sake and for the sake of the currently struggling team, that he should avoid it at all costs. A brilliant batsman, Smith is best left to do that, Chappell says, the role of captain is a heavy burden that wears one down and detracts from the emphasis on play. Chappell goes on to explain that the role of a leader is not one that should be automatically pinned on a high-performing resource that can be impacted negatively.
“Whether that’s the best thing for him from a cricket point of view and for the team from a cricket point of view…because there’s no doubt the extra mental energy that the captaincy demands takes a lot out of a player.” – Greg Chappell
As Australia continues to currently struggle to develop more superior long-form batsmen, it’s apparent that for a young batsman to become a ‘top-class red ball cricketer’, they need to be given the space to develop the right mentality and form without the distraction of leadership duties.
An important thing to consider in terms of a leadership role though is the ability to learn from mistakes. Smith may have failed to prevent the incident from occurring, but he was ‘leadership material’ enough to own that failure. Should it not then be considered that he has the maturity to have grown in sensibility and experience since 2018, that he could be the better leader for having experienced the pain of such a public fall.
Greg Chappell says Steve Smith should not be made Test captain when Tim Paine retires (news.com.au)