Steve Smith ready to captain Australia in Champions Trophy in absence of Pat Cummins
Stand-in Australia Test captain Steve Smith said that he is ready to captain Australia in case Pat Cummins is forced to skip the tournament due to an ankle injury. Cummins has been out of cricketing action since winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and is expected to miss the ICC tournament as well.
Speaking ahead of the 2nd Test vs Sri Lanka, Smith said that he loves to captain in the subcontinent and would be looking forward to the challenge. Smith has captained recently in the subcontinent, when he took charge of the Australian team in the last 2 Tests against India in the BGT 2024/25. Smith was unbeaten as a captain in that series, first winning the third Test in Indore and then securing a draw in Ahmedabad.
The batter spoke about how he enjoyed setting fields in the subcontinent and how he liked to move the pieces on a chessboard.
“I haven’t given it too much thought. We will wait and see about that squad. I am focusing on the Test series. We want to win the series this time and then focus on ODI cricket. But I love captaining in these conditions, I understand the game well, the angles that need to be created, moving the pieces around the chessboard, it’s good fun. I have enjoyed it so far,” Smith said.
Smith also updated on Sam Konstas, who was sent home from Sri Lanka ahead of the final Test of the tour. Smith showed confidence in the batter, stating that even though he did not play in spin-friendly conditions, he learned a lot in the nets. Smith likened Konstas’ trip to Sri Lanka to his own back in 2013, when he played 2 Tests vs India.
“He has gained a lot out of batting in the nets in Dubai. I saw him get better each day in the nets. It’s been tricky, the wickets have been quite challenging. He’s started to understand the differences with playing spin in these conditions and even facing reverse swing. He handled it very nicely. I think even batting in the nets in the subcontinent helps you gain a lot of exposure. It’s only going to benefit him,” Smith said about Konstas.
The tourists, who won the opening Test by an innings and 242 runs, are waiting to finalize their playing eleven and might pick spin-bowling all-rounder Cooper Connolly over left-arm spinner Todd Murphy.
“It’s possible, all options are on the table. We’re going to leave it late, but we’ve got the resources here if we need,” Smith said.
Spin twins Matt Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon destroyed Sri Lanka in the opening Test, also at Galle, and they have part-time spin options in Travis Head.
“(He’s) another batter that bowls more than handy spin and spins the same way as Kuhnemann. We’ve got a few that go the same way as Nathan and Todd,” Smith said.
“We’re going to leave it until the last minute (to decide),” the captain concluded.
The second and final Test match of the series begins on February 6, 10 AM local time.
