Bringing back Steve Smith as Australia Test captain will only add to the circus: Ian Healy

Former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy on Tuesday said he has no problems with Steve Smith returning as Test captain but added that such a move will only add to the circus following Tim Paine’s resignation over a sexting scandal.

Paine had stepped down as Australia’s Test skipper on last Friday after it emerged that he had sent an unsolicited explicit image of himself along with a string of lewd messages to a female co-worker in 2017, months before he was made captain.

Notably, it was Paine who had replaced Smith as captain in 2018 after the ball-tampering scandal that shook Australian cricket and brought disrepute to the senior national team.

However, following the unforeseen decision from Paine, weeks ahead of the much-anticipated Ashes series, Smith has emerged as one of the candidates along with fast bowler Pat Cummins.

“We’re going to add to the circus by Steve Smith being appointed after that (the Tim Paine episode),” Healy told Sportsday with Satts and Jase.

“I’ve got no problems with Steve Smith captaining Australia again; he paid a heavy price for just being a lazy captain, that’s about all he was guilty of.”

HEALY SAYS SMITH RETURNING AS CAPTAIN WON’T HELP

Smith along with David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were handed bans by Cricket Australia for their respective roles in the sandpaper gate episode in Cape Town.

“Too many people around there think he was actually in there scratching that ball in South Africa, but if they’ve forgotten what happened he just wasn’t aware enough as captain to pull the reins in and stop what was going to happen,” Healy said.

“That was his crime, and he got a year (ban) for it. So, I’ve got no problems, but I don’t think he needs to come in as vice-captain or straight after Paine’s indiscretion.”

Meanwhile, Ian Healy said Tim Paine voluntarily decided to step down as captain as he did not want to be a distraction during the Ashes Down Under.

“Paine resigned of his own (choice), Cricket Australia said he could stay and the coach wanted him to stay on, (but) he just didn’t want to be a distraction in this circus.”

Smith, who has scored 7540 runs at an average of 61.8 in 77 Tests, captained Australia in 34 Tests, guiding the team to 18 wins, 10 losses and six draws. The first Ashes Test begins at Brisbane on December 8.