The former left-arm pace bowler of Australia, Mitchell Johnson, has slammed the national selector’s decision to appoint Steve Smith as the leader for the upcoming two Tests in Sri Lanka as part of the third cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25. They have already qualified for the event’s final against South Africa at Lord’s in June 2025.
The regular red-ball captain of Australia, Pat Cummins, has been ruled out of the series due to paternity leave for the birth of his child and the recovery of the knee injury that has been struggling him since the five-match Test series of the recently concluded Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.
Johnson felt it would be a backward step for the national side as they have been wasting an opportunity to go for a long-term candidate in that department. Smith is, however, one of the strongest candidates for Australia in the longest format, with 21 victories in 38 clashes, besides ten defeats at a winning rate of 55.26%.
Mitchell Johnson slams Australia’s backward decision regarding Test captaincy
In the recent series against India, he was in decent touch with the bat thanks to 314 runs in nine innings at an average of 34.88 and a strike rate of 54.99 with the help of two centuries at the best score of 140 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Cummins bowled with a lot of heart to end as the second leading wicket-taker of the series with 25 scalps in ten innings at an average of 21.36 and a strike rate of 40.08.
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In his new column for the Nightly, the former Western Australian pacer has opined that fans might have argued about his thought process, but it doesn’t take the eyes off the long-term plans of the team.
“As for the decision to bring back Steve Smith as Test captain in Sri Lanka after his one-year suspension and two-year leadership ban over the ball-tampering saga, I can understand the skepticism.” Johnson penned down his column.
“While many fans admire his leadership, I’m among those who have reservations about him being resurrected at 35. It feels like a backward step, and while my opinion does not change the outcome, it’s frustrating to see choices that don’t seem aligned with long-term team development.” Australia’s former fast bowler expressed.
Under the captaincy of Smith, the Kangaroos were blown away for a 3-0 whitewash defeat in Sri Lanka in 2016. The veteran was banned from the captaincy after the sand-paper gate in 2018 at the Newlands in Cape Town, when both he and the vice-captain, David Warner, were penalized for a year while the opening batter, Cameron Bancroft, was sentenced to nine months.
During a recent interaction with the Sydney Morning Herald, Smith reckoned that everyone would have their opinions on leadership, but he acknowledged gelling well with all the other players in the team.
“Any chance I get to take over when Patty’s (Pat Cummins) not here is good fun. I try and still do things my way. It’s been cool to have a couple of opportunities here and there.” Australia’s former Test captain highlighted.
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“I mean, everyone’s entitled to their opinion. They can say whatever they like. I’m pretty comfortable in my skin. [The environment] around the team has been good for a long time. I get on well with everyone inside. People are entitled to their opinion. They can say what they want.” Smith concluded.
The two-match series for Australia will begin on January 29 in Galle. They will also participate in two ODIs in the trip before the Champions Trophy 2025.