'It will help heal the wounds from Cape Town ' - Mark Taylor on Steve Smith being appointed as Australian Test vice-captain

Tim Paine stepped down as the captain of the Australian cricket team ahead of The Ashes series against England. And, Pat Cummins has been appointed as the new captain of the Australian Test side, with veteran batsman Steve Smith being appointed as his deputy.

And now, former Australian cricketer Mark Taylor feels that Smith has got the opportunity once again as a leader after that infamous ‘Sandpaper Gate’ incident that shook Australian cricket in 2018.

Adding that Smith also knows that not everyone might support his elevation as the vice-captain, Taylor opined that Smith once again has the opportunity to be involved with the leadership group of the Australian side. Taylor even feels that if Smith can do some ‘good things’ for Australia this time around, it might even help him to erase the wounds that he caused three years back.

“He’d be foolish to think he’ll ever win everyone back again. I don’t think he’d be too disappointed, he may well have wanted to become captain again, but I don’t see Steve Smith at home bashing the desk.

He’s got an opportunity now to be involved in the game as a leader, albeit not as openly. I think if he does a lot of good things, which I’m sure he will for Australian cricket, it will even help heal the wounds from Cape Town nearly four years ago,” said Mark Taylor as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald.

Pat Cummins has already set the ground rules: Mark Taylor

Mark Taylor also added that the Australian captain runs the entire cricket team. Adding that Pat Cummins taking over as the captain of the Australian side will be a ‘change of guard’ moment, Taylor concluded by stating that a bowler captaining the side will be a different experience.

“I think he’s handling it the right way. This is going to be very different. I think all of us ex-captains, in a way we’ve had a similar type plan – the captain runs the cricket team.

Straight away Pat’s already setting the ground rules that this will be different, so all of us who have an opinion on how the Australian cricket team should be run have to think a little bit differently because this will be a changing of the guard,” concluded Taylor.