Steve Smith free to skipper Australia again after serving two-year captaincy ban following ball-tampering scandal
- Steve Smith was handed a two-year leadership ban by Cricket Australia
- Punishment came following controversial ball tampering scandal in March 2018
- Smith had to stand down from his role as Australia captain following the scandal
- He was also given 12-month ban from domestic and international cricket
- Smith aims to stay ‘physically fit and mentally fresh’ during Covid-19 lockdown
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Steve Smith is eligible to captain Australia again with his two-year ban having come to end.
Following the ball-tampering scandal of March 2018, Cricket Australia handed then-skipper Smith a 12-month suspension from domestic and international cricket, adding that he would not be considered for leadership roles for another year after that.
The 30-year-old batsman, who starred in last summer’s Ashes series win in England, says he has been ‘trying to stay physically fit and mentally fresh’ amid the current sporting lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Two years on from his leadership ban handed down by Cricket Australia, Smith is now in a position where he can be selected to captain his country again
While he had been due to captain Rajasthan Royals in this year’s Indian Premier League, the start of which has been postponed to April 15, Smith feels it is ‘not looking likely at the moment’ that the competition will go ahead.
He told Channel Nine’s Sports Sunday: ‘I was supposed to be heading off I think today, from New Zealand to the IPL, so obviously that’s not happening.
‘I think the country’s basically shut its borders until April 15. It’s obviously not looking likely at the moment, I think there might be some meetings over the next couple of days to discuss what the go is with it all.
‘But just trying to stay physically fit and mentally fresh and if it goes ahead at some point, then great. If not, then there’s plenty going on in the world at the moment. Just play it day by day.’
Smith (right) was along with David Warner and Cameron Bancroft (left) caught in a ball tampering scandal involving a Test against South Africa in March 2018