Khawaja, Marsh have to be in mix for top job if skipper gets axed
TIM Paine’s amazing Test resurgence is set to continue with the keeper almost guaranteed to be captain in Johannesburg should David Warner be stood down permanently — but he’s not the only contender.
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TIM Paine’s amazing Test resurgence is set to continue with the keeper almost guaranteed to be captain in Johannesburg should vice-captain David Warner be stood down permanently.
Steve Smith has already been suspended from the final Test against South Africa for his cheating admissions but a Cricket Australia investigation could determine the need for further penalties.
That investigation could be concluded as early as Tuesday.
Warner and coach Darren Lehmann are also significantly in the gun as more details of the decision-making in the Cape Town dressing room come to light.
Paine, 33, was installed as skipper for an ugly final day of the Third Test and his statesmanship, despite his lean international experience, is highly regarded among Cricket Australia officials.
His strong voice during the drama which engulfed Warner and the Aussie camp in Durban was also praised.
A long-term decision on the captaincy is not needed immediately with the Aussies not playing international cricket again until a limited-overs series against England in June.
Beyond that a Test series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi will be played later in the year, potentially August, but that has not been locked in.
That gives CA officials time to fully consider their options which include Usman Khawaja, who is Queensland captain, and Mitchell Marsh, who is in charge of Western Australia when he’s at home.
An unlikely elevation to Australian Test captain could be in their immediate futures if the fallout from the ball tampering scandal escalates as most expect, and skipper Steve Smith gets axed from the top job.
One who isn’t an option is Smith’s predecessor. Don’t worry about Michael Clarke’s offer that he could return “if asked by the right people”.
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Clarke, who played his last Test in August 2015, with an extremely dodgy back, is yesterday’s man.
Australian cricket doesn’t need him to be a hero.
The scope and scale of who was involved in the leadership discussion which decided ball-tampering in Cape Town was the way to go could determine who gets to toss the coin in the final Test in Johannesburg.
LISTEN! A special ball tampering crisis Cricket Unfiltered episode is out with News Corp’s Russell Gould and Andrew Menczel dissecting the fallout of the Australian cheating scandal.
Before play resumed on day four of the third Test, Smith and David Warner stood down as captain and vice-captain of the team, with Tasmanian wicketkeeper Tim Payne elevated to the top job.
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NUTS AND BOLTS: HOW AUSSIES HATCHED A PLAN TO CHEAT
SMITH’S SHOCK ADMISSION: WE’RE CHEATS
Most believe Smith, via his frank admission, can’t continue as captain. The word “untenable” has been used a lot. And when the investigation by Cricket Australia officials now on their way to South Africa is complete, he shouldn’t be captain.
But vice-captain David Warner is also in the leadership group. If he was party to the decision to tamper, he can’t be in charge either.
The rest of the leaders change from tour to tour, but in South Africa are bowlers Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
They can’t take over if they agreed with Smith that it was a good idea to unleash Test newbie Cameron Bancroft as chief ball scruffer.
Those guys will have to forever live with the stain of being party to cheating, if their roles are clarified, but are unlikely to lose their spots in the side.
But none can be captain.
That leaves Khawaja, who has struggled for runs this series and was probably staring down the barrel of being axed for the final Test, barring a second innings century.
The younger Marsh has only just re-established himself in the Test team after years of mediocre national returns too.
Should he be burdened with picking up a team flattened by such a staggering chain of events.
Then there’s Paine. When it comes to good citizens, he’s at the top of the pile.
He has been a revelation in his Test return, and his efforts behind the scenes as a positive influence on the group have been lauded.
Or what about Peter Handscomb, the Victorian captain.
Bancroft, who was officially charged by the ICC, can’t be suspended by the ruling body for his crime, because this single charge won’t enable him to accrue sufficient demerit points for a ban.
But CA can come over the top and, like Smith, he could find himself out of the rest of the series.
Any omissions from the team mean Handscomb, the only spare batsman on tour, gets a start.
When he began his Test career, some earmarked him as a potential captain. Then he got dropped.
The candidates list to take over from Smith is full of potential.
But it would take some sort of leader to right this ship, which is careering out of control.
Originally published as Khawaja, Marsh have to be in mix for top job if skipper gets axed