'It’s been a long couple of days': Steve Smith seeks reset button before second Test

In order to move on from the distraction of having his deputy in the dock following the conclusion of the first Test on Monday, Australian captain Steve Smith is determined to take control of the situation ahead of the second beginning on Friday.

Speaking for the first time since leaving Durban, Smith detailed how he was handling the storm on both sides of the Indian Ocean. In South Africa, he brought his team together before their first training session in Port Elizabeth to help press the reset button. A meeting with South African skipper Faf du Plessis on Thursday is designed to do the same.

At home, the events of Sunday afternoon earned his team a public lashing ferocious as any since the “monkeygate” mess of a decade ago. In response, Smith was keen to accept overall responsibility for what transpired while at the same time backing in David Warner’s version of events and dismissing Quinton de Kock’s as “fabricated” and a “load of garbage”.

That’s a narrow messaging tightrope, but this is why the captaincy of the Australian cricket team is often credited as being the second toughest job in the country after the Prime Minister. Occasionally, the scrutiny is just as fierce. “It’s been a long couple of days for a few of the guys,” Smith confirmed. “It overshadowed what was a really good win for Australia.”

When put to the captain in the immediate aftermath of the incident that the “ugly Aussies” tag of past generations might be reprised, Smith said it didn’t bother him. But his tune changed after two days of rage from fans and the commentariat alike, acknowledging the criticism had stung, and doubly so due to the disciplinary track record of the national side under his leadership. Until last weekend, that is.

Source: theguardian