Australia s Steve Smith plays a shot for four runs to reach his half-century during play on the fourth day of the second Ashes cricket Test match between England and Australia at Lord s Cricket Ground in London. AFP/File
BRISBANE: Former Australia batsman Usman Khawaja has called for Steve Smith to take back the captaincy of the Test side once Tim Paine’s tenure is over.
Smith, who led the team for nearly three years, was stripped of the captaincy and banned from leadership roles for two years in the wake of the Newlands ball-tampering scandal in 2018.
Smith’s leadership ban expired last March but the master batsman has since been overlooked for roles in the Test and white-ball teams.