Oz kick Smith captaincy question down the road

MELBOURNE, November 12

The question of whether Steve Smith will regain the captaincy of the Test team continues to gnaw at Australian cricket nearly three years after the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. Australia’s selectors, however, are refusing to bite. Smith’s name was not even raised in discussions about the leadership roles, selectors chairman Trevor Hohns said today. “All I can answer to that one is that discussion hasn’t been had yet,” Hohns said. Asked whether Smith might ever be captain again, Hohns 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 said. “Tim Paine hasn’t gone yet.” Reuters