SUCCESSION QUESTION
THE sun is out and the smell of freshly cut grass is in the air.
Time to put the football boots away and pull out the whites. It was an exciting winter watching the Cats finish the home-and-away season on top of the ladder, but sadly they failed to deliver in September.
The Australian men’s and women’s cricket teams won the Ashes and kept many of us up late at night.
The men’s series was a topquality affair and two outstanding players returned from the wilderness to dominate the Ashes for their respective teams.
Sinners-turned-saints Ben Stokes and Steven Smith climbed off the canvas and delivered several knockout blows.
The wounds of the sandpaper saga in Cape Town may never truly be laid to rest, but time certainly heals some wounds.
Smith will always have the scar of being the Australian captain that allowed our players to blatantly cheat.
It will always be a stain on his tenure, but he certainly won back many Australian hearts with his amazing feats to secure the Ashes on foreign soil.
His unorthodox technique has many coaches scratching their heads as many youngsters look to emulate his quirky mannerisms.
But what is undeniable is his appetite to score runs and bat for hours on end. His batting was simply superb this winter.
The debate now rages like wildfire as to whether he should return as our national team captain once his 12month leadership ban is lifted.
Not for mine. Not now. Not ever.
Tim Paine has sailed the ship through turbulent waters and although we would like him to make a few more runs, I believe his keeping is world class and his leadership outstanding.
Character is always tested in tough times — not good — and Paine came through with flying colours.
He deserves at least this summer to continue to lead our Test team before any thought of the next in line comes forward.
My hand is declared: no Smith.
So the question beckons: who is the next man to lead our Test team?
Personally, I would be grooming South Australian captain Travis Head and give him every chance to develop into this role.
He is a street-smart lad from the hardworking northern suburbs of Adelaide. He is made of the right stuff.
Alex Carey is a cool and calm character with a smart cricket brain and he may well leapfrog Head into the role if and when he takes the gloves off Paine.
Not many wicketkeepers have been long-term captains in our country’s history. Maybe times are changing.
Mitch Marsh is a favourite of coach Justin Langer and will be another leadership contender in the future if he can secure his position in the Test team this summer.
Pat Cummins is respected by all and sundry but I’m not convinced he is captaincy material as a tearaway quick.
The next Test captain will emerge before our eyes over the next two summers, but it should not be Smith.
My heart is forgiving and happy that Smith has returned to the fold, as everyone makes mistakes and deserves a second chance.
Leading the country again is another argument all together — and one that will never sit comfortably in my guts.
He lost that right and should never regain the absolute privilege.
Stokes was in all sorts of trouble after his horrible incident outside a Bristol nightclub two years ago that left his cricket career rightly at the crossroads.
Remarkably, he — like Smith — turned from sinner to saint this winter.
His matchwinning innings for his adopted country won England the Cricket World Cup in an amazing display of power batting.
Then, less than a month later, he repeated his heroics in even more spectacular fashion when he singlehandedly delivered his team the most unlikely of victories at Headingley. It was the best Test innings I have witnessed in the circumstances in my lifetime.
These two world-class players have climbed off the canvas when completely down for the count.
They have made two stunning returns to the international stage. It shows that sport can heal even the deepest wounds.