Steve Smith may lose Australian Test captaincy to David Warner if results don’t change: Graeme Smith

STEVE Smith could swiftly be replaced as Australia’s Test captain by David Warner if results don’t pick up fast, according to one former South African skipper.

David Warner is poised to replace Steve Smith as captain if results don’t pick up soon, according to Graeme Smith.

FORMER South African captain Graeme Smith has warned Steve Smith to watch his back as the continued failure of the Test team will have selectors considering replacing the Australian skipper with his deputy David Warner.

Graeme Smith, who is in Sydney and was inducted as a Bradman Honouree alongside former Australian cricketer Bill Lawry at the annual Bradman Foundation gala dinner at the SCG on Wednesday night, believes the option of Warner replacing Smith should be discussed if the Australian team fail to turn things around.

While the South African says the incumbent Australian captain has plenty to work through in the dressing room following Michael Clarke’s reign, he knows patience will be short.

Steve Smith is under pressure as Test captain due to a poor run of results.

Australia suffered an embarrassing defeat to South Africa in the first Test in Perth — their fourth straight loss — and are under pressure to bounce back in Hobart.

“I think that’s the next debate in Australian cricket — who should be captain. The brash type of David Warner, or Steve Smith. It’s going to be interesting if Australia don’t turn it around,” Smith said.

“Smith is young in the job and I think he deserves an opportunity to grow and develop, but if you don’t grow and develop, patience at that level is very short. People want results and want to see the team develop.

“After Pup there seems to have been an abrasive culture, a polarised culture under Michael Clarke — you just have to pick up a newspaper or a book these days to understand that. Smith is obviously trying to rebuild that space and he’s probably going through a fair amount at the moment.”

Smith revealed he had a chat with South African captain Faf du Plessis on the eve of the first Test to identify areas where they could exploit Steve Smith’s men and one of them was to play a spinner. Keshav Maharaj went on to make his Test debut for the Proteas and spinned his way through the Australian team to claim four wickets.

“I’ve never found Australia to be great players of spin. Their nature is always to try and attack spin and they attack spin by using their feet to try and hit you over the top,” Smith said. “They’re not great manipulators of the ball, they don’t rotate the strike well.”

Having toured Australia several times in his career, Smith knows the immense pressure players come under from the crowds and media.

The turning point for him was when he walked out to bat at the SCG with a broken hand in 2009. He felt the respect and was honoured to be recognised for it last night, especially in front of his parents.

“I don’t think I’m an emotional person by nature, but I feel quite emotional about it,” he said.

“To get the standing ovation when I walked out with a broken hand, it felt like for me it turned a big corner in the respect factor from my first tour. You don’t come to Australia to be loved, you come here to earn respect and I felt that at the time I had done that.”