Waugh: Australia need Smith back in side
Australian cricket needs disgraced ex-captain Steve Smith and he is likely to be welcomed back with open arms, former skipper Steve Waugh has said.
Smith, along with former vice-captain David Warner, is serving one-year suspension from international and state cricket over his part in the ball-tampering scandal against South Africa in March, while opener Cameron Bancroft was banned for nine months.
Tim Paine will lead Australia in their Test series against Pakistan in the UAE next month, but Waugh believes the team will miss Smith’s presence until his ban expires next March. “We need him back in Australian cricket,” Waugh told Fox Sports Australia of 29-yearold Smith, who has played 64 Tests.
“You can’t lose someone of his quality overnight and expect to replace it and he’s still only relatively young.”
All three players accepted responsibility for the scandal that rocked the sport, with Smith’s tearful apology on his arrival back in Australia tugging at the heartstrings.
“The Australian public, they are forgiving,” Waugh added of the situation. “He made a mistake and he’s paid a heavy price for it.
“But if he gets back out there and plays with the same enthusiasm and passion, he loves playing cricket, he loves scoring runs, he wants to get back playing for Australia, Australians will move past what happened before.”
However, Warner, a dynamic batsman but a divisive figure in the game, may find it harder to earn acceptance again.
Despite this, Waugh said he hoped Warner would also get a second chance.
“I hope so, you have to give guys an opportunity to redeem themselves.
“They’ve apologised and paid a heavy price,” he said, but warned it would not be easy for any of them to bounce back to the top.”