Australian chief selector Trevor Hohns has categorically denied any chances of Steve Smith being re-appointed as a Test captain in the near future after announcing the squad for the India series.
Cricket Australia on Thursday (November 12) announced the 17-man squad for the upcoming home series against India starting later this month with Pat Cummins confirmed as the Test vice-captain.
Last season, Travis Head was another vice-captain of the Test side, but this time, CA has decided to go with the tradition by appointing sole deputy in Cummins for Tim Paine, Test captain.
Hohns revealed that even Smith’s name was not discussed during the team selection meeting for the leadership role – which means chances of the former captain’s return to the role seem unlikely.
Smith was suspended from cricket for 12 months and banned from leadership roles for two years after the “Sandpaper-gate” incident in Cape Town in March 2018.
However, Paine has been doing a great job as captain, but talks rise over the future Test captain as the latter is now approaching his 36th birthday, but the chief selector has insisted that “we'll worry about it” in due course but repeated that it is very difficult to say whether Smith might ever be captain again or not.
As per reports in Reuters, Hohns said honestly in a video call with reporters: “All I can answer to that one is that discussion hasn’t been had yet.”
On Smith’s chances, the chief selector said: “That’s difficult to say, he will obviously be - probably - a contender but whether we go down that path or not depends on when that arises.”
He signed off, “Tim Paine hasn’t gone yet, put it that way, so we’ll worry about that in due course.”
