Hope for Smith to win back top job

Cricket boss opens door for ex-skipper

CRICKET Australia has left the door ajar for disgraced skipper Steve Smith to return to the Test captaincy.

As the governing body prepares to form a committee to fix the conduct of the Australian team, CA chairman David Peever has revealed the fallen Smith may yet rise again to the national captaincy.

Smith fell on his sword in the wake of the ball-tampering calamity in Cape Town and the initial sentiment was that one of Australia’s greatest batsmen would be black-listed from a leadership role.

But Smith’s tear-laden apology, and his contrition amid the pain of a 12-month ban, has won back public support.

Peever yesterday conceded Smith faced a lengthy journey just to reclaim the baggy green, but when asked if the 28-yearold could captain Australian again, the CA chairman provided a glimmer of hope.

“The door has been left open by our announcement,” Peever said. “Steve, nevertheless, has a long road back.

“We at Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW, in the case of Steve and David [Warner] and WACA, in the case of Cameron [Bancroft], and the ACA will be working to make sure we wrap the structures around these young men to make sure they can rebuild their careers and come back strongly.

“Having owned their actions and expressed genuine remorse, I hope all players can successfully rebuild their car- eers. I hope they can win back the trust and respect of Australian cricket fans and the Australian public.

“It’s a long journey, their lives have been turned upside down. We don’t want anything like this to ever occur again.”

Smith yesterday found an ally in former Test skipper Steve Waugh, who hopes the 64-Test veteran plays for Australia again.

“I would personally love to see those guys playing for Australia, particularly Steve Smith,” he said. “He’s a once-in-a-generation type player, he’s made a mistake and we all do that, so let’s move on.”

CA’s probe into the balltampering saga has turned into a half-baked farce with the organisation’s top brass — including CEO James Sutherland — exempt from the sack.

Peever pledged to launch an independent review that will have a “broad remit” and consider “whether any wider cultural, organisational and/or governance issues” need to be addressed.

But despite admitting the cheating scandal “happened on my watch”, Peever confirmed the independent review will not claim the scalps of himself or Sutherland.