“If you go back to Smith, you're going backwards” – Ian Chappell not in favour of Steve Smith as Australian skipper

Ian Chappell isn’t too keen on seeing Steve Smith return as Australia skipper. The former cricketer feels getting Steve Smith back would be a step backwards for the national side.

Tim Paine recently backed Steve Smith to return to the leadership role in the future. The wicket-keeper batsman endorsed Steve Smith’s captaincy, claiming he will fully support the decision if the batsman returns as captain.

Ian Chappell has now shed his opinion on Steve Smith as captain. In an exclusive interview with the Wide World Of Sports, Ian Chappell advised the management to refrain from making Smith captain.

"I think it's time to move on. To me, if you go back to Smith, you're going backwards. It's time to look ahead, not in the rear-vision mirror,” Chappell explained.

Tim Paine said - “ I think Steve Smith deserves to be considered as Australia's next captain, I would definitely support him getting that job again in the March, if we beat the Poms 5-0. When I played under him, he was excellent as captain. “ ( New Corp Media )

— Neelabh (@CricNeelabh) May 13, 2021

Ian Chappell also discussed Cameron Bancroft’s recent comments, where he hinted the Australian bowlers were aware of the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. Referring to Bancroft’s statement, Ian Chappell felt it was inevitable before new details on the Sandpaper-Gate scandal came out.

"It's probably something that's been on Bancroft's chest for a while, and he's tried to get it off his chest as diplomatically as he possibly could. I'm not surprised, because Bancroft's one of only three that got pinged for what happened, and most people would realise that there were more than three people involved,” Chappell said.

Cummins' captaincy prospects should not be impacted by possible knowledge of Sandpaper-Gate: Ian Chappell

Cam Bancroft might have revealed a little bit more than before, something talked about informally on the circuit, about SandpaperGate. "Were the bowlers aware?" It is "self-explanatory" he says. That can't mean a no, surely.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 15, 2021

Ian Chappell feels Pat Cummins should still be the next pick for Australia skipper, even if he knew about the ball-tampering scandal. The former Australian captain feels the burden of responsibility ultimately falls to Steve Smith.

"If people start jumping up and down about Pat Cummins captaining Australia if he knew, well the answer is pretty clear because it falls back on Smith. He's the bloke who should have stopped it. The captain's got the overall say and power to stop it, and he didn't. I don't think it should count against Pat Cummins, even if they decide the bowlers did know. Smith is the bloke who should have made sure the whole thing never started,” Chappell concluded.

Both Pat Cummins and Steve Smith will next be seen in action for Australia against West Indies. The duo are part of the squad which travels to the Caribbean for a white-ball series in July.