Don’t let mob rule on Steve Smith and captaincy, says Gary Kirsten

Cricket Australia has been urged to rethink its assertion that public sentiment will matter in any decision over Steve Smith.

Australia’s Steve Smith is a natural leader according to coach Gary Kirsten.

Cricket Australia has been urged to rethink its original assertion that public sentiment will matter in any decision over Steve Smith returning as Test captain.

Respected coach Gary Kirsten did not hesitate last week in thrusting Smith back into the captaincy hot seat for England’s Hundred, despite the fact the Australian was mercilessly booed by British fans last year.

Smith will only be available for half the tournament, yet Kirsten said the champion batsman was still clearly the best choice to lead his Cardiff-based side.

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Former Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said at the time he handed down Smith’s 24-month leadership ban — which expires this month — that public sentiment would be a key factor in any future decision over him being reappointed national captain.

Smith was welcomed back with open arms at Australian venues during the home summer, but assessing public opinion is a broad and subjective church, particularly when it’s the masses of faceless voices on social media who tend to make the most noise.

Kirsten said it would be “dangerous” if Australian cricket attempted to canvas the opinion of the mob in making a call on whether Smith should eventually succeed Tim Paine.

“I think with Steve, you speak to anyone, even the man on the street, they don’t see Steve Smith as this hardcore controversial cricketer,” Kirsten said.

“No one sees him like that. The more talk on the street is how good he is.

“It can always be dangerous if you’re going on public opinion to determine whether someone can become a leader or not. He’s a quality human being.

“He’s got a great work ethic. He’s got all the credentials to be a person that can lead other people.

“He’s solid in that way. That’s how I see it anyway.”

Smith was relentlessly booed in England last year, even after some of the more heroic moments he produced in the Ashes.

But Proteas great Kirsten, who has coached South Africa and India, isn’t concerned over a backlash, and said crowd reaction should be irrelevant in any case.

He stuck with his guns on Smith even after learning the Australian star — and Mitchell Starc — will now be pulled out of his team midway through the tournament to return home for one-day internationals against Zimbabwe.

“We have got three or four other potential captains, but he was always going to be first choice,” said Kirsten.

“I was under the impression when we drafted the team, that the Australians were available for the full Hundred. They’re not. They’ll only be available for five games. But I still feel he’ll be invaluable leading a team.

“People that know Steve Smith know what he’s about and he’s a quality human being and a really good example to the game.

“We all make errors at one point in our lives and whether they’re public errors, or whether they’re private ones, none of us are immune to that in the world.

“I don’t think (crowd abuse) will be an issue to be honest. He’s been well received here in South Africa. My sense is it’s probably blown over.”

Australian coach Justin Langer told News Corp that he would be open to considering Smith as a vice-captain once his ban expired, with Paine and white-ball captain Aaron Finch locked into their posts for the foreseeable future.

The Australians are suffering from end-of-season blues in South Africa, rolled 2-0 in the ODI series with one game still to come.

Middle-order batting is an ongoing concern for a sloppy Australian side that look in need of a rest they won’t get — with two more series against New Zealand to start next week in Sydney.

Meanwhile, Australia Test captain Tim Paine says he has no end date in mind, despite a lot of people telling him when he should retire.

Paine, 35, is thought to be keen to lead Australia to the inaugural world Test championship final at Lord’s midway through next year.

Australia coach Justin Langer has backed Paine to do so but former captain Michael Clarke has suggested Paine could retire after the home series against India next summer. Clarke believes Pat Cummins should be Australia’s next cricket captain across all formats, while Smith is also an option.

Paine said he had not decided when he would pull up stumps. “I’ve had a lot of people telling me when I should finish,” Paine told RSN. “I haven’t got any date in mind. Whether that’s short term or long term, I haven’t got an end date.

“I’m absolutely loving the job that I’ve got at the moment.

“Physically, I’m probably in much better shape than most 35-year-olds.”