Steve Smith could become Australia's captain, CA's ethics centre chief gives nod

Former Australian skipper Steve Smith could once again lead Kangaroos on the world stage as the man who was behind his suspension following the ball-tampering scandal has endorsed the batsman's name for the top job. According to The Age newspaper, Dr Simon Langstaff, who is the head of the Ethics Centre and lead the sandpaper probe in 2018, has said that he has no problem with Smith becoming the national captain again. Langstaff, while speaking to the Australian daily, said if a person has paid a penalty for the wrongs committed in the past then they should be given all opportunities in the future. 

'Should be given all opportunities' 

While speaking to The Age, Langstaff said that he believes if the person has paid the penalty for his wrongdoings then they should be given "all opportunities in the future". Smith was suspended for a year and was stripped of his captaincy after he and fellow teammates David Warner and Cameron Bancroft admitted to altering the condition of the red ball in South Africa, which is illegal in cricket. Bancroft was caught on camera altering the ball with sandpaper, hence the name 'sandpaper scandal' came into being.

The scandal rocked the entire cricketing world after Smith admitted that he was in the loop when it was being discussed in the change room. It was later revealed that Warner had instructed Bancroft to alter the ball's condition and Smith was aware of that being played inside the team's dressing room. Following the incident, all three were suspended by Cricket Australia, and Smith and Warner were banned from taking any leadership roles in the future. Tim Paine was handed the captaincy for the longest format of the game, while Aaron Finch was named captain for ODIs and T20Is. 

After the period of suspension was over, Smith announced his return to international cricket with a bang as he performed well with the bat for Australia in Test cricket. Since then, Smith has featured in almost all Test matches for Australia, making continuous contributions with the bat. His performance has sparked a debate in Australia on whether he should be handed over the captaincy again as Paine has failed to perform well in the recent past. The debate gained more traction after Australia lost their second consecutive Test series against India at home.  

Smith is currently playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Delhi Capitals, where he has failed to put some good T20 cricket on the show. Smith was skipper of the Rajasthan Royals franchise until last year but was released by the team ahead of the 2021 edition of the IPL. Smith was bought by Delhi Capitals in the mini-auction for a bargain as the Australian superstar went for just Rs. 2.2 crores.  

(Image Credit: PTI)