Steve Smith taking a leading role in Australia’s first Test fight

Where there’s Smith there’s hope. When he is out, so too are the lights.

Former Australian captain Steve Smith in action with the bat at Edgbaston last night. Picture: AFP

Where there’s Smith there’s hope. When he is out, so too are the lights. That’s how it’s seemed this Test and, while he may have had a hand in shooting out those lights in South Africa, cricket was a darker place for his absence.

Steve Smith might not be captain of the Australian side and may be banned from any such role for another seven months, but he is clearly the senior batsman, leading by example and even calling field changes while Tim Paine concentrates on keeping in the first Test.

Smith’s two innings at Edgbaston have confounded the locals. England’s bowlers are scratching their heads. Their pundits wander the commentary corridors asking the question that’s being asked on the field: How do you get him out? — which was, coincidentally, the headline on the back page of the Sunday Express.

After the third day Smith stood behind only Bradman for players with more than 20 Test innings. That puts him above giants Herb Sutcliffe, Ken Barrington, Everton Weekes, Wally Hammond, Gary Sobers and so on.

Paine and Smith spent a lot of time talking during England’s first innings and it was obvious there were periods that the latter was setting fields — apparently with his captain’s blessing.

It’s a positive Paine is confident enough to delegate duties to a senior player when he has the gloves on. Wicketkeeping and leading teams have never been a good fit.

Paine has made it clear he is not threatened and will seek the counsel of the former leadership team.

When he first took the job at Tasmania he was a hard-nosed leader who sought no counsel and set himself above his teammates, senior and junior. He says now he was wrong and with maturity came the understanding that you have to use the knowledge that surrounds you. It is a poor leader who is afraid of talent in others.

“I’ve become a lot more relaxed and I like to involve people in the decision-making,” Paine told Andrew Ramsey in a profile story on cricket.com.au.

“In this day and age, to get complete buy-in you have to listen to people, you have to take on board what they’re thinking and listen to what they think might work.

“Then the skill is being able to utilise that information, and get everyone going in the direction that you want. But it’s not just my decision — it’s Justin, and me, and our other team leaders who formulate our plans and strategies.

“Then it’s my job to make sure we’re sticking to what we’ve planned in meetings and pre-series.”

It would be insane not to use the advice of a former captain and someone with Smith’s cricket sense. The same goes for David Warner. It certainly isn’t against any rule for Smith to help set fields, but the sight is all part of the rich fabric of an extraordinary Test match.

The English red-top papers had sharpened their patriotic pens before he arrived, presenting a mocking misrepresentation of Paine’s Test-eve press conference, and are now labelling him Smith’s puppet.

It doesn’t worry Paine. He was brought back in to play the last Ashes series when he wasn’t even his state’s first-choice keeper. Now he is the captain of the side.

“I’m 34 years old. I don’t really care about my place in the side any more. I’m here to do a job. I’ve been put in this team to captain and keep wicket to the best of my ability. That’s all I can do,” he said on the eve of the Test.

“At 34, if you’re looking further ahead than the next Test match you’re kidding yourself. I realise how lucky I am, the position I’ve come from and the position I’m now in. I’m enjoying the job, loving being in England, being part of an Ashes series.”

Former captain Ricky Ponting was quick to dismiss suggestions Smith had overstepped the mark.

“I read a bit of that stuff this morning, with people online going on about the fact he shouldn’t be doing it because he’s not captain,” Ponting told cricket.com.au. “That’s a load of rubbish.

“He’s not captain. He’s not tossing the coin and he’s not picking the team. But an experienced guy like him with a cricket brain that he’s got, Tim would be silly to not try and tap into that and not try to use him when he can.

“He’s served his time as far as his playing suspension goes and everyone knows he can’t captain again until next year. He’s part of a team that is relying on him heavily for his experience, so he can help in whichever way and wherever he possibly can.

“And I’m sure if Painey or anyone around the team wasn’t happy with it, it wouldn’t be happening.”

Asked after his first-innings century if he was still a leader Smith was candid: “I obviously don’t have the armband, and that’s OK. I’m an experienced player now and you want your experienced players to stand up when it is difficult and show the way. Fortunately I was able to do that today.”