Kevin Pietersen Comes Out in Support of Steven Smiths Captaincy Return

With Pat Cummins being ruled out of the first Test, Steven Smith has been announced as the captain. Several fans have criticised this decision, but many of them even came in support of the same. Amidst this, Kevin Pietersen also spoke about Smith being the skipper of the team.

A lot of buzz is taking place around the internet for the first Test match of the Ashes. The biggest rivalry in cricket is set to take place once again from 21st November. For the first Test, Steven Smith has been announced as the skipper of the team,

Cummins suffered a back injury and was doubtful for the first Test. He was expected to return for bowling practices this week, but not being able to do so, he has decided to rule out of the first Test. In his place, Australia has made Steven Smith the skipper of the team, who holds a tremendous record in the Test format as a captain.

1. Kevin Pietersen on Smith

Just when the decision of Steven Smith being announced as the captain came out, fans started to criticize it. Smith surely has been a great skipper for the Australian team in the Test format. But he has also been involved in some scandals during his captaincy stint, of two years from the game.

Kevin Pietersen, who is a former English batsman, came in support of Smith. He tweeted in his favour, saying that Steven Smith as a captain comes in as the best choice for the team in the Ashes. Pietersen also told the fans to forget about everything which happened in the past and focus on the present.

2. Smith's Scandals

Steven Smith, as a skipper, has been involved in some serious scandals in the history of the game. Among all of them, the sandpaper gate scandal remains the most popular, due to which Smith also served a suspension from all forms of cricket for two years. During the Test series against South Africa in 2018, this scandal took place.

In the third Test, the South African batsmen noticed the ball swinging even when it was old. This eventually sent the batsmen and umpires into confusion, as the Australian bowlers kept on passing the ball to the fielders. At this point, Cameron Bancroft was seen rubbing the ball with sandpaper.

It was seen as a small yellow object, but eventually Bancroft was caught in the same. When the umpires started to investigate the same, Bancroft said that it was just the pair of glasses he had in his pockets. Eventually, during an investigation, it was revealed that Bancroft had used sandpaper to alter the ball’s surface to favour the Australian bowlers.

In this, two more names were involved, and these were of David Warner and Steven Smith. The skipper of the team admitted his involvement in the same, and eventually, he was dismissed as the skipper of the team across all formats. While Smith served his suspension, Tim Paine was announced as the new captain of the team across all formats.

3. Smith as Captain

Despite the scandals that took place under the captaincy of Smith, it cannot be denied that he has been one of the finest captains for the Australian team in the Test format. In the Ashes, he holds a tremendous record as a captain, being undefeated against England

Along with that, his average as a skipper remains high, which will help Australia to get a different form of Steven Smith. This shows that Australia is currently in safe hands, with Smith as the captain for the first Test. Averaging nearly 70 as a captain will put pressure on the English team

As Pat Cummins is expected to be back in the squad for the second game, the record held by Steven Smith as a captain remains the best for Australia. Moreover, Smith has dedicated himself to the Test format over the past few years, as he is now likely to perform well as a captain once again.