“Sandpaper Gate resurgence doesn’t help Steve Smith’s Australia captaincy case” – Mark Taylor 

Former Australia captain Mark Taylor believes that Steve Smith’s chances of captaining the national side have received a setback after the resurgence of the ball-tampering scandal.

With Tim Paine expected to retire after the 2021-22 Ashes, the Australian think-tank is busily pondering potential captaincy candidates with the likes of Pat Cummins and Steve Smith among the choices.

Mark Taylor stated that the reopening of the controversy after Cameron Bancroft’s recent interview could Steve Smith’s case.

“It doesn’t help. No doubt about it, it doesn’t help his case, because he like I’m sure most people involved in the game would like this just to go away; which it won’t go away,” Mark Taylor, a staunch supporter of Steve Smith, said on Sports Sunday.

“There’s no doubt there’s a growing momentum around Steve Smith being a potential captain, no doubt about that.”

In March 2018, Steve Smith’s involvement in the ball-tampering controversy at Cape Town (infamously also called the Sandpapergate) saw him lose his Australian captaincy and be slapped with a 12-month playing ban.

Though he hadn’t initiated it, he admitted to the knowledge of the act and received the flak for failing to stop the illegal act as a captain.

How can this still be going on 3 years later!! Surely every player must have been interviewed? Surely the bowlers must have known? How then can only 3 players be sanctioned?? https://t.co/Rvn0Vsfhv0

— Michael Bevan (@mbevan12) May 17, 2021

Mark Taylor defends bowlers, Cricket Australia investigation

Mark Taylor also defended Australian bowlers – Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon – after they denied having any knowledge of the ball-tampering plot.

He also defended Cricket Australia’s investigation process, which was termed a “joke” by David Warner’s agent James Erskine. Warner, then the vice-captain of the Australian side, was the chief instigator of the tampering episode.

“The question about whether Cricket Australia did enough three years ago, the answer to that is yes,” Mark Taylor added.

“I think we had a four-day window between the end of the Cape Town Test and the start of the fourth Test, which was at Johannesburg, to send someone over, do an investigation, make a report and then make some decisions around that. That was obviously to send the three players home and to deal with it then.

“Yes, in an absolute ideal situation, of course not; it would have been great to have six months to do all this. But we had a four-day window, and I think in that time, we got it right.”

Australia’s next international assignment is the West Indies tour in July, where they will play three ODIs and five T20Is. They will then tour Sri Lanka for three T20Is ahead of the scheduled T20 World Cup. They play their next Test in November against the visiting Afghanistan side ahead of the Ashes.

Strong statement from Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood. #SandpaperGate pic.twitter.com/KpLYQ2GUYv

— Rupin Kale (@Vegansportlover) May 18, 2021