Two years after the contentious 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering incident, leadership ban on Steve Smith got over this Sunday (March 29) as he became eligible to lead Australia again.
Smith, the then Aussie skipper, was removed from captaincy, banned as a player for one year, and also handed-out a leadership ban of two years by Cricket Australia (CA) for his involvement in the ill-fated Newlands scandal that shocked world cricket.
Australia is currently led in Test cricket by wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Paine while opener Aaron Finch holds the captaincy duties for the limited-overs game.
Smith was due to lead Rajasthan Royals in this year's edition of the IPL but the tournament got suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected international and domestic fixtures across the globe.
Australia's last international assignment of the home summer - the Chappell Hadlee Trophy - also got indefinitely postponed in March after the New Zealand government put strict travelling restrictions on all its citizens, making it necessary for the national side to immediately fly back home. This, also suspending the T20I series between the neighbours in New Zealand.
The pandemic threatens to further ruin Australia's mid-year tours to England, Bangladesh.
Smith, on his part, is ensuring he stays physically and mentally fit by training at his home gym while also practising social distancing.
“It’s obviously not looking likely (the IPL will go ahead) at the moment,” Smith told Channel Nine’s Sports Sunday.
“I think there might be some meetings over the next few days to discuss what the go is with it all."
"I’m just trying to stay physically and mentally fit and fresh and, if it goes ahead at some point, then great," he added.
(Inputs from AP)
