Will support Steve Smith to regain Australia Test captaincy, says Tim Paine

Tim Paine said he has no immediate plans to give up Australia captaincy but insisted that Steve Smith deserved to be considered again for the top job. Notably, Smith was banned for 2 years from leadership role after the ball-tampering scandal in 2018.

Australia captain Tim Paine has thrown his weight behind Steve Smith, saying the star batsman is good enough to regain captaincy when he ends his stint as the skipper of the senior national team. Paine has no plans to immediately vacate the position but is confident that Smith is an ideal candidate for the top job. Paine's comments come after Steve Smith said in March that he will be open to captaincy if offered a chance to replace Tim Paine. Notably, Paine took over as captain from Smith after the star batsman was banned for two years from leadership roles for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal that brought disrepute to Australia in South Africa.