‘Sandpaper Gate’ cheat Steve Smith will lead Australia in third Test of BGT Series as Pat Cummins will be away!
For the record, Smith had once before also come in as stand-in captain during the Ashes series at home after the Sandpaper Gate incident.
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Pat Cummins; Steve Smith
This is turning out to be one awful tour for the Aussies in the Border Gavaskar Trophy Series, after the visitors trailing 0-2 in the four match Test series. Injuries have ravaged the side and one has lost track of how many players had to fly back Down Under. With David Warner, now the captain of the Delhi Capitals IPL team also out, the situation is similar to that of India two years ago, in Australia. By the time the Indian had flown to Gabba for the final Test in 2021, many players were injured. To get 11 players out there on the field was a massive effort. That India pulled of a heist is part of cricketing folklore.
The current series has seen Aussie cricket in shambles. Captain Pat Cummins, the speedster who under-bowled himself in the second Test at the Ferozeshah Kotla becomes the latest to fly back. The latest news trickling in is he will not be back for the third Test starting in Indore next week.
When Virat Kohli played just the first Test in the away tour in 2021 in India and returned on paternity leave, there was massive criticism. However, at that time, the captain had taken permission from the BCCI. In his absence, Ajinkya Rahane, now out in the cold, led from the front.
Sample this, Ashton Agar flew back to Australia to play domestic cricket. It seems the Aussies have given up all dreams of winning the Final Frontier. Worse, the man who now leads Australia is Steve Smith of Sandpapergat scandal fame. Just to jog the readers’ memory, in 2018, Smith, then captain, and Cameron Bancroft were caught trying to use sandpaper to work on the ball. The match was against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town. Once the TV cameras caught the cheating incident, all hell broke loose.
TV cameras are now positioned in such places, they pick up any bit of action and even mikes catch mid pitch chatter. Smith, Bancroft and vice captain David Warner were found guilty at that time. The captain, and vice captain (Smith and Warner) were banned for one year by Cricket Australia while Bancroft was slapped with a nine-month ban.
For Steve Smith to lead against a fired-up India side is dubious news
There was no way Smith, struggling for form in this series, could lead again. Perhaps, the beleaguered Aussies have no choice but to put a “cheat” in as captain is swallowing pride. If it was Aussie cricket of yesteryears, they would never have plumped for Smith as captain in India. It shows bankruptcy of talent to lead. As it is, former Aussie captains from Ian Chappell to Allan Border have slammed their men in Baggy Green caps for a spineless show in India. The criticism has been fierce since Ausies have always played their sport with pride.
Smith was guilty and his return to international cricket was almost apologetic. For him to lead against a fired-up India side is dubious news! From an Indian point of view, this is good. The morale of the Aussies is at an all-time low. If India win the third Test, they will secure their place in the ICC Test Championship final to be played in England in June.
For the record, Smith had once before also come in as stand-in captain during the Ashes series at home after the Sandpaper Gate incident. However, in the present situation, the leadership crisis has hit the roof and Smith is skipper. If they can still fight against rampaging India, it will be a miracle of sorts.
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)