Steve Smith grilled on social media for 'Lukewarm' comments on Pat Cummins' NSW captaincy

Australia's Steve Smith and Pat Cummins appear to be the firm favourites to succeed current Test captain Tim Paine after the wicketkeeper-batsman's retirement. The two currently are playing the 2021 Marsh One-Day Cup, Australia's premier 50-over domestic competition. A certain section of fans was left surprised after Cummins was appointed as the new skipper of the New South Wales side, ahead of Smith. Cricket enthusiasts were recently left puzzled after the prolific run-scorer commented on the fast bowler's leadership. 

Fans unimpressed with Steve Smith's comments on Pat Cummins' NSW captaincy 

The 27-year-old Pat Cummins performed exceptionally well in his first game as the NSW captain. The player chipped in with 49 runs with the bat lower down the order and also bowled well to pick up three wickets to help his side seal the contest. Former Australia captain Steve Smith was recently asked about the pacer's first outing as a skipper on SEN Radio Network. However, the batter's response was deemed lukewarm by many as they felt he did not endorse the speedster's leadership skills. 

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On being asked about why Pat Cummins is not being rewarded with the Australian captaincy, the star batsman mentioned that it would not be easy for him to lead to the side considering his workload as a fast bowler. Speaking on Cummins's first game as the NSW captain, Smith pointed out that it was a fairly easy day. The 31-year-old opined that there was nothing substantial for the new skipper to do in the game. The comments did not go down well with many fans, as they questioned his underwhelming response on social media. 

Steve Smith among IPL auction 2021 list of sold players

The batsman who led the Rajasthan Royals side in the previous season of the Indian Premier League took home a hefty paycheck of ₹12.50 crore for his services. However, the franchise decided to part ways with him ahead of the IPL auction. Surprisingly, not many franchises were interested in acquiring the player for the forthcoming season, and he was ultimately scalped by the Delhi Capitals for ₹2.20 crore. There has been a considerable drop in the Steve Smith IPL 2021 salary, and it becomes imperative for him to shine with the bat this season.

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Steve Smith IPL 2021: Delhi Capitals sign the elegant batter 

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Delhi Capitals players for IPL 2021 

Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Lalit Yadav, Avesh Khan, Pravin Dubey, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Woakes, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Tom Curran, Sam Billings, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala, and M Siddharth.

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Image source: AP