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Home » Cricket Home » News » 'Doesn't Help His Case' - Mark Taylor Reckons Steve Smith's Captaincy Bid Weakened After Resurgence of Ball-Tampering Scandal

'Doesn't Help His Case' - Mark Taylor Reckons Steve Smith's Captaincy Bid Weakened After Resurgence of Ball-Tampering Scandal

'Doesn't Help His Case' - Mark Taylor Reckons Steve Smith's Captaincy Bid Weakened After Resurgence of Ball-Tampering Scandal

The chatter around Steve Smith once again leading Australia was gathering steam before Cameron Bancroft's latest comments on ball-tampering scandal.

Former Australian skipper Mark Taylor believes that the resurgence of the sandpaper gate scandal has weakened Steve Smith’s case of leading the Australian cricket team again. Smith, who was Australia captain across all formats, was stripped of the leadership duties post his involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal that rocked the cricketing world.

The scandal took place during the Test series against South Africa in Capetown in 2018. Three Australian players –Cameron Bancroft, Smith and David Warner — were found guilty and later punished for ball-tampering. All three players served their suspension, Smith, alongside Warner, was handed a 12-month ban from international cricket and a further 12-month suspension from captaincy duties. However, three years post the scandal,Smith and Warner managed to return to the Australian side as regular members.

The chatter of Smith being once again reinstated as Australian captain was gathering steam. However, Bancroft’s recent explosive interview with a UK publication has once again reignited the debate. Taylor now believes that it has further jeopardised Smith’s chances of leading the team.

Speaking on Channel 9’s show Sports Sunday, Taylor said, “It doesn’t help. No doubt about it, it doesn’t help his case.” Taylor, one of Smith’s staunchest supporters, further said that he (Smith) like most people involved in it would like it “just go away; which it won’t go away.”

Taylor also went on to defend the Australian bowlers – Jos Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon – after the four recently denied having any role in the ball-tampering scandal.

In the same discussion, he also gave an impassioned defence to the investigation that Cricket Australia (CA) had carried out immediately after the incident. “The question about whether Cricket Australia did enough three years ago, the answer to that is yes,” Taylor further said.

He concluded saying he did not believe that the public release of the investigation report, so far blocked by CA, would help to keep the lid over the matter.

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