Steve Smith must never captain Australia again - he’s a better player without the added pressure

Steve Smith has paid his dues for the ball tampering affair and deserves a fresh start in the leadership debate. The question is does Australia need him more as a batsman than a leader, asks Robert Craddock.

Australia's Steve Smith kisses his helmet as he celebrates reaching his century during play on the fourth day of the first Ashes cricket Test match between England and Australia at Edgbaston in Birmingham, central England on August 4, 2019. (Photo by Lindsey Parnaby / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. NO ASSOCIATION WITH DIRECT COMPETITOR OF SPONSOR, PARTNER, OR SUPPLIER OF THE ECB

Steve Smith’s stunning starburst of form has pushed him closer to a return to the Australian captaincy. Or has it?

An intriguing question, spotlighted by former Test spinner Kerry O’Keeffe on Fox Sports’ Back Page, is hanging in the air.

Is Smith best left just to bat – and bat, and bat?

Since the day Smith was banned for ball tampering, the key issues around his possible return as Test captain when his two-year leadership ban expires in March, have been moral and ethical ones.

But just as significant is the pure cricket question of how best to use the side’s most precious resource.

Does a man who sleeps four hours a night during matches even when he is going well, really need the stress of running the team?

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And – let’s be frank about this – Australia needs him more as a batsman than they do as a leader where Tim Paine is doing just fine.

O’Keeffe believes Smith has returned from the ball tampering affair a better player, particularly as he now has just one job to focus on.

“Without the captaincy he can obsess about his contribution as a player,’’ O’Keeffe said.

“That is the key. He worried about the negativity of the team when he was skipper. He worried about winning the game. Now every bone in his body and every thought is about churning out the runs.’’

Smith has captained Australia in 34 Tests, by no means a marathon stint but former selector and keeping great Rod Marsh recently wrote that 30 Tests should be the arbitrary limit for Test captains because after that they go a bit mad.

Australia's Steve Smith does not need the pressure that comes with the captaincy

“There is a long history of captains totally losing the plot after about 30 Tests, which is usually about four years in the job,’’ Marsh wrote.

“I saw both Ian and Greg Chappell become exceptionally frustrated with the Board towards the end of their captaincy.

“I saw Michael Clarke almost change his personality as his tenure approached 30 Test matches.’’

If Smith continues to dominate as he did at Edgbaston he will revitalise the entire Australian cricket scene simply through his batting deeds.

Travis Head seemed to grow by the minute as a Test batsmen in his two partnerships with Smith at Edgbaston. The day may not be far away, if Head becomes Test captain, where Smith could be a trusted senior adviser.

It’s true that Smith batted exceptionally well when last captain but he was also showing signs of fraying at the edges by the end of his term.

Do you really want to risk burning him out or would you rather leave in that manageable zone where he lives in at the moment as the senior batsman and informal adviser to the captain taking a suddenly rejuvenated Test team to places they never thought they would go?

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