After losing his last two Test captains amid allegations of misconduct, Cricket Australia will make sure to do its due diligence before appointing the next person to take over. Tim Paine’s shock resignation over sexually explicit text messages following Steve Smith’s departure from the team’s leadership in the wake of the controversial 2018 Newlands ball-tampering scandal follows his resignation Friday.
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“The Board has accepted Tim’s resignation and will now work through a process with the national selection panel to identify and appoint a new captain,” CA said in a statement.
As vice-captain, 28-year-old pacer Pat Cummins will be the obvious choice to replace Paine and his appointment marks a rapid turnaround with the start of the Ashes series against England just three weeks away.
Although Cummins has an impeccable record and is currently at the top of the Test bowling rankings, Australia, like most of cricket’s major nations, has traditionally chosen their captains from the ranks of their batsmen.
Ray Lindwall’s temporary one-trial tenure India In 1956 he became the only specialist fast bowler to lead Australia in the longest format of the game.
One candidate who could be ruled out unless Cricket Australia is prepared to oppose its decision is opener David Warner, who was given a life leadership ban for his part in the Newlands scandal.
Read also: Paine, the Fallen Captain Once Held Australian Cricket Savior
Smith, the world’s third-best Test batsman according to the ICC rankings, is eligible for “sandpapergate” after serving a two-year leadership ban.
In anticipation of Paine’s widely expected retirement at the end of the Ashes series, a media campaign to revive his three-year reign as captain has been underway for some time, and Smith has expressed his interest.
Cummins, however, said that until recently he was ready, willing and able to rise to the top and was not overly concerned about adding captaincy duties to the sometimes daunting workload of leading the pace attack.
Former captain Steve Waugh said earlier this month that the time has come to give a bowler, especially Cummins, a chance to lead the Test side, and middle-order batsman Travis Head agreed on Friday.
“Obviously well-spoken about Pat, who has been named vice-captain, it’s hard to go after him or give him a chance,” he told reporters after Penn’s resignation.
“He is someone who is imbued with leadership, not only in the way he presents himself and speaks and the way he goes about things and the way he trains, but also when he is on the field. But it happens.”
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