Crash Craddock: Pat Cummins’ performance against India should excuse him from captaincy debate

If the Aussies want a different skipper for next summer’s Ashes series, they should make the call before South Africa. But who should the captain be?

Australia must make a hasty decision on who will captain the side for its Ashes defence. Picture: Oli Scarff/AFP

Australia should cast its thoughts ahead to next summer’s Ashes series before it names its captain for the South African tour.

If it feels Tim Paine is the man to lead Australia’s Ashes defence – as seems likely – then he should lead the team to South Africa.

But if Australia wants Steve Smith back, the time to recall him is now and not at five minutes to midnight before the Ashes tour, because you don’t want to be fiddling around with your leadership structure before a series Australia is under severe pressure to win.

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Australia’s selectors have often thought overseas tours are the best place to perform major selection calls, because while the chances of victory are less than what they would be at home, in some ways so is the pressure.

When the team is away from the blazing furnace of the home summer it often bonds better, and the distractions can seem less, so big team decisions can be made with less fuss.

Australia must make a hasty decision on who will captain the side for its Ashes defence. Picture: Oli Scarff/AFP

The thought of Smith returning as leader in the country (South Africa) where Australia was busted for ball tampering is not as risky as it sounds, because the likely absence of crowds at Tests due to COVID restraints would insulate Australia from the nation’s infamously hostile fans.

Australia’s hierarchy is yet to have deep discussions about what it truly thinks of Smith as a future leader. That time is upon us.

The vibe has generally been that it saw him as a last option, but would resort to that option if need be.

Paine, who performed exceptionally for Australia after landing the job mid-Test during the ball tampering scandal, is still favourite to lead the side to South Africa.

The one clear take-out of Australia’s series loss in terms of the captaincy debate is that the next leader should not be poor Pat Cummins.

Cummins is so good and so willing that Australia’s main priority must be to guard him from burnout, not to saddle him up with more responsibility.

To ask him to captain the team would be simply unfair.

If the captaincy took 10 per cent off his potency as a fast bowler it would not be worth it.

Australia needs his peerless pace bowling much more than it needs his leadership skills – particularly as he would be learning on the job.

He just needs to bowl – and rest – and bowl again.

Pat Cummins’ performance against India proved he can’t captain the Test side. Picture: Patrick Hamilton/AFP

Paine has been under fire since his outburst against Ravi Ashwin in the Sydney Test but his decision not to declare earlier on day four of the Gabba Test was vindicated by the tightness of the late afternoon finish the following day.

Australia remains perpetually concerned by the lack of captaincy candidates with the feeling being that Australia’s cricket system is tailored to produce followers not leaders.

The significant amount of support staff around the team mean the players don’t have to think for themselves like they used to and do not develop great leadership skills.

Originally published as Crash Craddock: Pat Cummins’ performance against India should excuse him from captaincy debate