Steven Smith is far from the only long-term captaincy option in the eyes of the Cricket Australia board, after the flourishing display of test skipper Tim Paine in Adelaide served greatly to drive leadership on the path to 2022 and beyond.
An outstanding entry of 73 by Paine at No. 7, combined with seven receptions and a sharp captaincy to help pull off an impressive three-day victory over India, removed much of the earlier urgency from the leadership discussions that had been forced. for an injury to Aaron. Finch during the T20I series, prompting Matthew Wade to act as a backup.
Opinions within Australian cricket are divided on who could rise to the top roles with the men’s team whenever Paine or Finch decide to retire, but the display of the former in Adelaide made it clear that, in terms of performance, he will likely be around until at least after the next one. Summer House Ashes Series. That means a debate at the CA board on the merits of Smith or current Vice Captain Pat Cummins, to name two possible candidates, is still a long way off.
Earl Eddings, the CA president, was eager to expand the discussion when asked how the board now viewed Smith’s position as leader more than two and a half years after the Newlands scandal and a little over 14 months since he returned. a Test cricket in a blaze of ash that makes glory run.
“First of all, we have three great captains in Meg, Aaron and Tim,” Eddings told ESPNcricinfo. “We have some great young leaders on the way. So it’s not just about Steve taking over, it’s about the best overall. Steve is a great young man and he was a good captain when he was there. Like any succession, there is planning. instead. Have we sat down as a board specifically to discuss the next captain? No, we haven’t.
“But I think over a period of time we have given a variety of people options to be vice-captain, Matthew Wade was already vice-captain, so we are looking at that and it gives us the opportunity to look at the future leaders of cricket. We will be guided by the recommendations of the selection panel, who always come back to our board at the right time with their recommendation, and we will analyze it in detail when they do. “
Smith was generous in his praise of Paine on Tuesday after watching the 36-year-old make the precious first-inning runs under the lights that allowed Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to bring the Adelaide Test to a quick and violent conclusion on the third afternoon. . Paine has released his previously conservative approach somewhat, allowing him to score 342 runs at 42.75 and a 52.29 hit rate in eight games since the end of the Headingley test in 2019; he also claimed 39 receptions and two hits in that time.
“It’s another one that will take a lot of confidence out of the way he played the other day,” Smith said of Paine. “He took the game, he was scoring at a good pace and he changed the momentum of the game. We always knew Tim had such good batting ability and I think he’s improving.
“If you can keep having those performances and change the momentum, think of it as part of your job as No. 7, a goalkeeper, the guys who do that the best in the whole world are willing to play the situation and move on. Either way. is either pushing a total up or getting us out of a little trouble playing aggressively, I thought he did that the other day and hope he can continue to do so. “
Paine’s strong demonstrations, plus the understanding that Finch will likely continue as cue captain until the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, mean Eddings and the board can focus on their next big succession task, deciding on him. next permanent boss. executive to replace Kevin Roberts.
“Right now Nick Hockley is doing a fantastic job, he has delivered a cricket summer when we sometimes think ‘how are we going to do this’, but he has done it under very difficult circumstances so he is doing a great job and like the rest of the team, “Eddings said. “We will start a process at the beginning of the new year and we are thinking about what we think are the needs of a CEO for the next five years.
“Stakeholder management is critical, the depth and breadth of stakeholders in Australian cricket and international cricket is paramount, someone who is a strategic thinker, and given the challenges we are seeing in media rights to communication around the world, where are our next revenue streams coming from, they can look very different in five years. Also managing the ICC. So there are a variety of different requirements and it’s a difficult task. “
Unusually, both CA and the Australian Cricketers Association are seeking CEOs at the same time. The seasoned figures of Todd Greenberg, David Gallop and Stuart Clark have been linked to the ACA role, while current FICA Executive Director Tom Moffatt, recently relocated to Australia, is another option.
Eddings himself is set for reelection in October next year, and he has yet to comment on seeking a second term as president. “First of all, I’m there at the behest of the board and the members, so it’s up to them to make that call,” he said. “Succession is really critical and we are always talking about succession. My comment on longevity is that you don’t want to stay too long, however with the dynamics of the ICC, it takes a long time to build relationships.
“If we hadn’t spent time building a relationship with India this summer, it could have been in jeopardy. So it takes time to build those relationships. You don’t want to just get there and then have to start over. You need to balance the two. needs of his ICC position to allow Australia’s needs to be met. “
Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @danbrettig
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