‘Masterclass’: Genius Steve Smith captaincy move reignites Pat Cummins debate

Steve Smith is having a blinder in Sri Lanka and cricket fans were in awe after he masterminded Australia’s stunning surge to victory.

Steve Smith is a cricketing genius.

That was clear for all to see after Smith masterminded a superb final session on Day 3 against Sri Lanka to give Australia the upper hand and just two wickets away from a 2-0 series clean sweep.

At one stage Sri Lanka was 5/198, leading by 41 with two set batters, but the hosts crumbled to be 8/211 with a lead of just 54 runs after spin wreaked havoc on a dusty pitch in Galle on Saturday.

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Smith is serving as stand-in captain in the absence of Pat Cummins, who missed the tour to be at home for the birth of his second child, a baby girl.

The 35-year-old took a one-handed screamer low to his right at first slip to dismiss Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva for 23.

Smith then called on Beau Webster to bowl offspin instead of his medium pacers, and it paid dividends, with Ramesh Mendis flicking a delivery to Travis Head at bat pad.

But Smith showed off his genius when he manoeuvred the field to give set batter Kusal Mendis an easy single down the ground off the last ball of an over, to get new batter Prabath Jayasuriya on strike.

The move proved to be a masterstroke, with Smith bringing Kuhnemann on in an astute bowling change. He flighted a ball beautifully and Jayasuriya edged it to Smith at slip, leaving Sri Lanka reeling at stumps on Day 3.

Australia's captain Steve Smith (2R) could do no wrong in the field. (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP)

Smith pulled the reins in the field like a master puppeteer. (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP)

Smith appears to be relishing reprising his role as captain, rewriting the record books as he rediscovers his best form in Sri Lanka.

How good is Steve Smith as a captain. Pushed midwicket fielder to the deep to make Jayasuriya make a single and gets the strike next (and last) over. Exactly the ball went to that fielder and they got a single.

Did a bowling change introducing Kuhnemann and got the wicket.

— Poornama🏏 (@iam_poor9) February 8, 2025

Geez Steve Smith has been so good with his captaincy in the field this Test. Whole series really, but in particular this Test #SLvAUS

— Ricky Mangidis (@rickm18) February 8, 2025

Steve Smith’s captaincy in the final half hour of the day. #SLvAUSpic.twitter.com/SqaESCOCa9

— Andrew Wu (@wutube) February 8, 2025

If this #SLvAUS series has taught us anything it's that Steve Smith is a far superior captain than Pat Cummins. His captaincy in the 2 tests has been nothing short of brilliant.

— Redders (@Redders_7) February 8, 2025

Brought Webster and asked him to bowl some spin and he took the wicket.
Skipper Steve Smith masterclass 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/3vs7z5fbaZ

— Smudge Era (@SS_49_zone) February 8, 2025

Steve Smith absolute genius. Slug goes bang! #SLvAUS

— Supercoach (YEAH NA CHEERS) (@NaCheers) February 8, 2025

Scores of 141 and 131 gave him his 35th and 36th Test centuries — he now has 17 hundreds as captain.

Smith has overtaken Ricky Ponting to have the most runs by an Australian in the Asian subcontinent and he also surpassed Ponting with the most catches ever by a non-wicketkeeping Aussie in Test cricket.

He has now scored 18 centuries, half of his total haul, away from home, including six in the subcontinent.

Smith was banned from international cricket for a year following the sandpaper scandal in South Africa in 2018.

He was at the peak of his powers at the time of the ban, and it’s easy to imagine Smith would be closer to Ponting’s haul of 41 Test hundreds had he been allowed to keep playing.

Smith’s tactical prowess, especially in foreign conditions, will spark debate over whether he should return to the captaincy on a full-time basis.

Under the leadership of Cummins, Australia won the 2023 ODI World Cup, won the Ashes, the World Test Championship and currently hold every bilateral trophy in Test cricket following a 3-1 victory over India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

It’s likely Smith will get another opportunity to captain Australia given Cummins is managing an ankle injury and is likely to miss the ICC Champions Trophy starting in Pakistan later this month.

Josh Hazlewood, who won the Shane Warne Test Player of the Year Award, is also expected to be sidelined with injury.

Mitchell Starc has played both Test matches in Sri Lanka with a three-pronged spin attack.

“At the moment Pat Cummins hasn’t been able to resume any type of bowling, so he’s heavily unlikely,” McDonald told SEN.

Pat Cummins is injured and enjoying some time at home. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Steve Smith is thriving as stand-in skipper. (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP)

“That would mean we do need a captain – Steve Smith and Travis Head are the two we have been having conversations with while we’ve been building out that Champions Trophy team with Pat back home.

“They’ll be the two we’ll look at for that leadership post, we’ve got to get through the next Test match to see where everyone is at, but they’re the two obvious ones.

“Steve has done a great job here in the Test match, he’s done some good work in One-Day International cricket across the journey as well.

“Patty is hugely unlikely, which is a bit of a shame, and we’ve also got Josh Hazlewood, who is battling at the moment.”

Marcus Stoinis also won’t be part of the Champions Trophy squad after announcing his retirement from ODI cricket.

Mitchell Marsh has also been ruled out of the tournament with a back injury.

Originally published as ‘Masterclass’: Genius Steve Smith captaincy move reignites Pat Cummins debate