Paine and Smith are a team: Langer

Justin Langer has dismissed claims Steve Smith has been undermining captain Tim Paine.

Australia captain Tim Paine and coach Justin Langer in Perth on Tuesday

Justin Langer has dismissed claims Steve Smith has been ­undermining captain Tim Paine by making positional changes on the field, saying it would be “ridiculous” for the captain not to use the experience of his predecessor.

Smith defended himself last week after former captain Ian Chappell saw him moving fielders during the Adelaide Test, the commentator saying he felt that when England players did it in the past they were “white-anting the captain”.

Paine is comfortable with taking advice from Smith, who appears to be at liberty to adjust fields in much the same way MS Dhoni does for India when Virat Kohli is otherwise occupied in one-day games.

Langer believes Smith and Paine work well together on the field.

“I’m sure he (Smith) makes lots of suggestions,” he said. “I thought that was a really strange comment the other day. I think Ian Chappell, who I obviously have great respect for as a former captain and a long-time commentator … I just felt that was ­really strange.

“It would be absolutely ridiculous of Tim Paine not to be looking like all captains do, and having a talk to Steve Smith, who has been a former captain of Australia and David Warner and Travis Head, who is a captain of South Australia and a vice-captain, and a group of senior bowlers. He’d be crazy.

“We want to encourage all our guys to think like captains. We want to encourage them to think like captains and leaders on and off the field. So, it’d be ridiculous for Painey not to be asking for it and then channelling the information as is required to whoever needs it. I was actually pleased to see our guys having a leadership impact on the ground.”

Smith is banned from leadership until the end of March, a prospect that has triggered much debate about how long Paine will or should continue and whether the former captain should be reappointed after being banned for his actions in South Africa.

Former vice-captain David Warner is banned for life from leadership roles in Australian cricket, but is a highly sought-after leader in domestic T20 competitions.

Langer didn’t think there would be any move to change the situation in the near future for Warner, but praised his contribution to the team.

“The ban is there and honestly I haven’t really thought about that. I haven’t looked at it that closely,” the coach said.

“Come back to me on that one. We’ll talk about that at a later date. The ban is there for a reason. He’s obviously playing excellent cricket at the moment. Long may it continue.

“He’s having a really big impact within the team. I love having him in the team. I love his energy, I love the way he runs between wickets. It’s a bit like having Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor in the same team, (he) struts around and while he’s smiling we’re all happy. But a leadership opportunity in the future, as it stands, that won’t be happening.”

Warner made 489 runs in two innings against Pakistan. He backed up 154 in Brisbane with a record 335no in Adelaide.

Langer indicated there would be no change to the team from the Pakistan series for the Test against New Zealand that begins in Perth tomorrow.

“I’d be a brave man to change the XI,” he said. “The boys are playing well. We’ve still got a couple of training sessions, we haven’t had a look at the wicket yet but I’d say at this stage more than likely we’ll have the same XI.”

New Zealand are sweating on the fitness of Trent Boult, who missed the last Test of the series win over England with a side strain. The left-armer, who has 255 Test wickets, would be ideally suited to the day-night Test at the new Perth stadium.

“We’ll be planning for him to play,” Langer said.