With Michael Clarke ruled out from the remainder of the ongoing Test series against India, Australia have appointed Steve Smith as the stand-by captain. In his first press conference as the country’s 45th Test captain, Smith said he was confident and ready for the huge responsibility.
“It’s been a pretty whirlwind 18 months for me and for the team as well,” Smith said. “For this to come suddenly is an amazing thrill. It’s something I have always dreamt of doing and now I have the opportunity to lead Australia in Test cricket for the rest of this series.”
Smith said the first time he had any inkling of being Australia’s next captain was when he received a call from Rod Marsh, the chairman of Australia’s National Selection Panel.
“(I started to think about it) probably not until yesterday when Rod Marsh called me and said he was going to recommend me to the board. I am thankful to the NSP for backing me and the board to approve it as well,” Smith said.
As Smith, 25, gears up to be Australia’s third youngest Test captain, he said he has the wholehearted support of Clarke and Brad Haddin, who was originally favoured to take over from Clarke.
“I spoke with Michael this morning. He sent me a text and asked to give him a buzz. I gave him a call; he is really proud of me and just very excited for me.
“I am extremely close with Brad and when I told him yesterday that Rod had called me, he was over the moon for me and he is proud of me as a punch. I am certainly going to look at Brad as Michael always does. He is a terrific team man and he has a great cricket brain as well. He is someone I can lean on out there,” Smith said.
The captaincy of the Test team may have come abruptly to him, but the all-rounder is not a novice when it comes to leading cricket teams. Smith has been at the helm of the New South Wales state team and the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, an experience he believes will auger well for him at the highest level.
He also said that observing the game closely with Clarke in charge, thinking like a captain when on field and discussing tactics with seniors in the side has made him better equipped to handle the role.
“As a captain, first and foremost I’ll try to lead from the front with my performance on the field. In regards with tactics, I think we’ve been pretty good this year. Pup’s been amazing and the group we have together is moving forward. So, I don’t see the need of a big change.
“I have a bit of leadership experience with New South Wales and the Sydney Sixers. When I’m just a player on the field, I have my brain thinking like a captain all the time. I think about what the situation needs and sometimes I throw my thoughts to Michael and Brad and see where we can go from there. Leading Australia is different but I am certainly looking forward to the challenge.”
Smith also said he would be happy to follow in the footmarks of Clarke when it came to captaining Australia and would not look to change the way the team plays its cricket.
“I said to the boys when I spoke to them this morning that I have no intention of changing anything we have been doing over the last 18 months. We’ve come a long way having played some very good cricket and we will continue to play the aggressive and positive brand of cricket,” Smith said.
By: BCCI
