Warner's Ingenuity Is Keeping the Heat on Smith

Perhaps said with tongue firmly in cheek, Australians believe their cricket captain holds the second most important position in the country behind the prime minister. But, whether you think that’s merely a joke or in fact a revealing insight into Australian culture, Aussie skippers undoubtedly have the type of longevity the nation’s top leader can only dream of.

In a toxic last decade of politics, Australia has had six leadership changes and five different prime ministers (Kevin Rudd had two goes at it). It is as if Australian politics channels the type of volatility that paralysed Pakistani cricket until recently.

Fortunately, Australian cricket doesn’t suffer that same festering instability. New captains are given firm backing and there is a healthy understanding that they will be inserted into the hotseat for some time.

Even during tumultuous periods, Australian captains generally endure. Mark Taylor famously survived a horrific form slump (only just though). It seems Michael Clarke was generally loathed among his teammates, yet he still mustered an overall successful four-year stint as captain which would have stretched further if not for a troublesome back.

Thus, it feels pointless speculating over the short-term future of incumbent captain Steve Smith despite whispers starting ahead of a defining period in his early captaincy reign. Australia have an arduous home stretch against South Africa and a suddenly formidable Pakistan before finishing with a crux tour of India, the site of some of the country’s most pitiful performances.

Barring a complete calamity, like Australia losing the next 10 Tests consecutively, Smith will remain captain for some time yet. Still, despite that apparent safety net, there feels a sense of fragility about Australia, who have copped embarrassing series whitewashes to Sri Lanka and South Africa in Test and ODI's recently.

Accordingly, Smith is feeling the first strains of pressure after enjoying a honeymoon period since taking the reins from Clarke 12 months ago. Fortunately for Smith, Australia’s embarrassing recent efforts were played abroad during the Australian football/rugby league seasons.