Steve Smith pitch scraping incident and the Australian Test captaincy ramifications

The Steve Smith ‘pitch scraping’ affair was a molehill that became a mountain. But it could have very real ramifications over a potential return to the captaincy.

Australia's batsman Steve Smith had sleepless nights in the wake of the SCG Test. Picture: AFP

When Steve Smith’s reputation was being tossed around in social media’s tumble dryer this week Big Brother was watching with interest.

Higher up the chain Cricket Australia officials were watching and nervously waiting how the furore over his pitch-scraping episode played out.

The potential long-term ramifications were far greater than the tiddly little incident in itself.

The jury is still out among the game’s powerbrokers over whether Smith will be invited to captain Australia when Tim Paine’s term is done.

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Australia's batsman Steve Smith had sleepless nights in the wake of the SCG Test. Picture: AFP

Given the extraordinary events of the ball tampering affair Cricket Australia will for the first time take public opinion into account when they make the call.

That was why they watched and listened so closely to the public pulse on Smith’s pitch scratching at the SCG because one serious jolt in the public opinion stakes could easily cost him a return to the top job.

At one stage in India there were 59,000 people tweeting about it after Test opener Virender Sehwag took issue against Smith on social media.

Momentarily things looked bad. Smith was mortified and barely slept. Had public opinion in Australia followed India it might have been a mortal blow to his prospects of getting the captaincy back.

But the tide turned. Tim Paine defended Smith and Smith defended himself and former players like Mark Waugh and Australian coach Justin Langer joined in.

On the other side of the globe Michael Vaughan called it “very, very poor’’ and Darren Gough called him a cheat.

It is understood that some of the game’s senior lawmakers in England sent some of the Smith critics messages insisting that, technically, they were in the right … that you cannot deliberately tamper with a pitch.

But intent was the issue. Smith was simply being the cricket nuffy he was by shadow batting and scraping guard in his own little world.

As is the case with raging arguments the hysteria of two very different views can mark the solid points that lie in the middle.

A few former batsmen had said that they thought to accuse Smith of pitch-doctoring was laughable but had he disturbed their guard by doing some “gardening’’ while he was fielding they would have firmly told him what to do with his pick and shovel because it was, at that time, their piece of real estate, not his.

One issue the week highlighted is whether the emotional scars of the ball tampering scandal make life more challenging for Smith.

This week’s drama cut him deeply.

The ball-tampering scandal cut Smith (L) deeply. Picture: AFP

Does he really want to jump into the furnace as captain again and have the sins of the past dredged up every time he takes a stumble?

Wouldn’t it be a far simpler, less stressful life for him to just bat?

The word has been floating around the traps for the past year that he would like the captaincy back partially because it would be ultimate redemption for his two-year leadership ban.

Australia is still not sure of the path forward.

In an ideal world they would move on to a younger man after Paine but to appoint Pat Cummins captain given his fast bowling duties and limited captaincy experience would be a huge call.

One way it could work would be to have Smith vice-captain, calling the shots while captain Cummins got through his bowling duties.

Many Australian vice-captains do the job poorly because they sit quietly, ambitiously waiting for the big job.

If Smith took the role and did it well it would be a great benefit to Cummins and Australia and might even earn him more credit from the public because it would be a fine team-orientated gesture in a sport known for rampant self-interest.

Originally published as Steve Smith pitch scraping incident and the Australian Test captaincy ramifications