Where will Australia’s next Test captain come from? Travis Head, Cameron Green, Will Sutherland in the mix

For all the extreme planning that goes into Australian cricket, Test captaincy appointments can be surprisingly ad hoc. Robert Craddock looks at the long-term contenders to take the top job.

When Steve Smith was given a two-year leadership ban after Sandpapergate he would surely not have expected to be captaining his country six years later.

It was not so much that his papers were stamped – they weren’t – more that in the passing of time new leaders would surely emerge and he would be able to quietly slide to the back of the bus.

Surprisingly, and for no clear reason, the cupboard remains remarkably bare behind Pat Cummins who is resting from the 50-over series against the West Indies.

Smith has been called off the bench to lead Australia and he’s such an old pro now the machine ticks over without oil.

But his recall does raise the question of who are Australia’s future leaders and whether the Australian captaincy is the sought-after commodity it once was.

Steve Smith speaks to the media as captain of the Australian one-day side. Picture: Getty

For all the extreme planning that goes into other areas of Australian cricket Test captaincy appointments can be surprisingly ad hoc.

Allan Border got the job when Kim Hughes suddenly stepped down in tears. Tim Paine inherited the job mid-Test during the ball-tampering affair in Cape Town.

Smith himself was promoted when the selectors offered the job to Brad Haddin and Haddin said “Smith is your man, not me.’’

Only a year before Cummins got the job he questioned whether he was suited to it.

Some, like Michael Clarke, were spotted a long way out and so was Mark Taylor.

Things changed for Australian cricket captains – and all leaders, even beyond sport – when social media gave the audience the chance to speak back.

Smith’s role in the Sandpapergate scandal is firmly in the rear-view mirror these days. Picture: Getty

Everyone cops it but the captains are often the lightning rods.

When Cummins said recently he would not mind seeing the date of Australia Day change he copped instant and hostile reader feedback for the next 48 hours.

Cummins takes all this on board with a grin but it’s not for everyone.

“I know we are supposed to covet the captaincy but I’d rather just play and let someone else lead,’’ said one senior player privately before Cummins was appointed Test captain.

Australia has some interesting emerging options as leaders with Will Sutherland doing a fine job as Victorian skipper at age 24.

Will Sutherland (C) made his ODI debut last weekend, but is highly regarded in Australian cricket circles. Picture: AFP

Travis Head has been made Test vice-captain but he is older than Cummins. Perth’s Aaron Hardie looks a Test player in the making and the national selectors have already flagged their interest in the Brisbane Heat’s occasional skipper Nathan McSweeney.

But before you can captain a side you need to be fully entrenched in it.

Australia already has two all-rounders – Cam Green and Mitch Marsh – in its Test top order. Marsh is already captaining the white ball teams while Green is seen as a future leadership candidate, with a key reason that he is in a generation all by himself with no player five years either side of him in the Test team.

In bygone eras when Test captains used to work for a living the job was held by players who were school teachers, crime reporters, bookmakers, florists, sports store owners and many other jobs which brought normal life experience into the job.

These days most players are simply professional sportsmen who are better prepared in so many ways but may lack the “outside cricket’’ experience that could enhance their leadership skills.

Originally published as Where will Australia’s next Test captain come from? Travis Head, Cameron Green, Will Sutherland in the mix