6 instances when Steven Smith's leadership came under scrutiny

#6 Smith vs Starc, 2018

Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc differed publicly on ways to get AB de Villiers out in South Africa

Everything went downhill for Steve Smith in South Africa in 2018. From being out of form and defending his team’s behaviour to questioning the ICC’s decision to not punish Kagiso Rabada and then ultimate ball-tampering incident, it was a series to forget for the Aussie skipper.

In between all this, Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Starc revealed in a press conference that he and Smith were conflicted about how to get the in-form AB de Villiers out cheaply. Apparently, Smith had instructed his premier bowler to bowl wide down the leg side in order to frustrate de Villiers by not letting him score freely and keeping him off the strike in the next over.

While negative tactics are not new in cricket, Smith’s leadership ability could be questioned since Starc was capable enough to make decisions on his own. Besides, it is yet another instance of an Australian conflict being brought out to the public rather than staying among the players in the dressing room.