Smith may not lead

Marsh questions any return to captaincy

STEVE Smith’s hopes of a Test captaincy comeback have been called into question by Rod Marsh, who claims the Australian outcast may have already reached the end of the road.

Cricket Australia has banned Smith from captaincy for two years for his role in the ball-tampering scandal, but with a dearth of natural leaders and star players coming through the ranks, many believe the champion batsman could be destined to resume the throne as a 31-year-old.

Former national selector and Test great Marsh agrees a return as skipper could happen, but says he’s not sure if Smith can banish the mental demons he saw turn Michael Clarke, Greg and Ian Chappell dark.

Respected cricket minds around the country are worried about what role the lack of accountability taken by Cricket Australia administrators might play on the minds of the already tortured and cynical Smith and David Warner.

Marsh has written in his new autobiography Rod Marsh that the 34 matches Smith has already spent as Australian captain should be an arbitrary limit for any Test cricket skipper due to the outside influences that can make the best of leaders bitter and twisted.

“I can assure you that (30) is about the most Test matches you should captain your country for,” wrote Marsh. “There is a long history of captains totally losing the plot after about 30 Tests, which is usually about four years in the job.

“I saw both Ian and Greg Chappell become exceptionally frustrated with the Board towards the end of their captaincy. I saw Michael Clarke almost change his personality as his tenure approached 30 Test matches.

“I think it’s even tougher now for a captain than it used to be, with all the social media and CA’s insistence on making players talk to the press.”

Marsh writes that he has no doubt Smith would have been “totally spent” after his “herculean” performance leading Australia to Ashes glory, adamant that led to him “making the mistake of his life”.

However, Marsh says that while Smith must take his share of the blame as captain, “he was not to blame for the circumstances leading to it, or for the culture that inspired it.”

Marsh has described that “culture” which he was in midst of for several years as a selector as “toxic.”

Two years relieved of the pressures of captaincy could change things for Smith.

But while Marsh says he’d have no problem with Smith coming back as captain if he was the right man for the job, it remains to be seen how the deposed captain will mentally absorb the enormous level of accountability he has taken.

editorial@cairnspost.com.au facebook.com/TheCairnsPost www.cairnspost.com.au twitter.com/TheCairnsPost