Fortune favours as Smith slips back into captain's role

As stumps were called at Adelaide Oval on Thursday evening, and Australia's undefeated pair departed the field with their team in a position of strength, Steve Smith made a beeline for his batting partner and flung a comforting arm around Marnus Labuschagne's shoulder.

It was scarcely an unforeseen gesture.

From the moment Labuschagne forged a path to Test cricket on the 2019 Ashes tour, coincidentally as a concussion substitute for Smith who had been struck a fearful blow by England quick Jofra Archer at Lord's, the pair have become famously inseparable when on cricket duties.

So keen was Labuschagne to place himself in Smith's aura during that tour, the rookie offered to tidy up Smith's notoriously messy space in the Australia dressing room at the conclusion of each Test on the promise of a bat from the maestro's collection.

That series also heralded Smith's return from a 12-month suspension that also saw him stripped of the Test captaincy, and since that Lord's Test 29 months ago they have played together in 14 of Australia's 15 Test outings and been their country's two-most prolific runs scorers.

But the current Vodafone Ashes Test against England is the first in which their productive relationship has evolved from master-apprentice to skipper-subordinate.

And that's what lent last night's show of solidarity and support – as Labuschagne ended the day 95 not out, with Smith having scored 18 in his 100 minutes at the cease – gravitas beyond their usual shows of cricket-nuffie mateship.

At least that's how it appeared from a distance.

In truth, Smith was expressing the disbelief both batters shared after England's keeper Jos Buttler turfed a straightforward chance shortly before stumps, one of nine opportunities that went begging as the tourists spent more than 150 overs "in the dirt" as their star all-rounder Ben Stokes labelled it.

"He said 'go buy a lottery ticket'," Labuschagne revealed this evening, having duly converted the previous night's 95 into a sixth Test century today.

"He's obviously captained a lot for Australia, so this is not new to him and he's been great.

"His communication with the team after play and before play in the morning, he's very clear.

'It's the first time I've been captained by Steve and it's nice to see him in that leadership role."

Smith had occasion to reprise the 'lottery ticket' line soon after Labuschagne reached his hundred today, when Buttler completed a catch off Ollie Robinson to seemingly end the Australia number three's innings on 102.

But the technology issues that plagued the opening Test had momentarily manifested again to ensure third umpire Paul Reiffel was not able to immediately call Robinson's indiscretion in real time, and Labuschagne was all-but off the field by the time the no-ball ruling was made.

However, it was fortune of a very different kind that saw Smith return to the captaincy he had surrendered in such difficult and closely scrutinised circumstances during Australia's infamous tour to South Africa in 2018.

Pat Cummins' rare bad luck – taking dinner in a small restaurant a few steps from the team's Adelaide hotel where a COVID-positive patron was not just also in attendance, but in close proximity – was what saw Smith back in the role he had been barred from holding for two years.

When discussions were first held with Cricket Australia last month about the changes to the Test leadership structure, following Tim Paine's decision to stand down in similarly traumatic circumstances, it's understood Smith sought reassurances about the vice-captaincy position.

He reputedly wanted clarity on what would happen if the very scenario Cummins found himself in on Wednesday evening was to eventuate, and some certainty about his authority to step into the breach rather than being part of further debate about leadership.

Had that guarantee not been forthcoming, it's likely Smith would not have put himself forward for the deputy's position fearing another round of 'why should/shouldn't he be considered for a captaincy return' if Cummins was unavailable for some reason.

And he was blissfully unaware that hypothetical circumstance had materialised until mid-morning on day one of the Test.

"I woke up at about nine o’clock – with the day-night games, you’ve got to sleep in a little bit – I looked at my phone and saw two missed calls from Patty (Cummins) and a message from JL (coach Justin Langer) saying, ‘are you awake?’" Smith told cricket.com.au at the end of day two.

"I was like, 'oh no, what’s going on here?’

"So he (Langer) goes 'come down to the meeting room', and he told me the news about Patty.

"I wanted to lead the side in Patty’s absence, and continue on what he started last week.

"I'm looking forward to working with Patty in the future and helping him in any way that I can grow as a leader, and help the team have success."

With only a few hours to get his head around the reality he would be leading Australia in a Test match for the first time in almost four years, Australia's 45th Test captain faced an immediate problem for which he hadn't planned.

Given he has not been home since he left for the Indian Premier League in early September – with the T20 World Cup, Queensland quarantine and Brisbane Test in between – his neatly stored captain's blazer remains hanging in a wardrobe at the Sydney home he shares with wife, Dani.

Consequently, he was compelled to don Cummins' jacket with his Test captaincy number (47) emblazoned beneath the national coat of arms on the left breast at the coin toss, ensuring he looked rather like a boy playing dress ups with his older, bigger brother's clobber.

"I didn’t have mine with me," Smith said of the minor wardrobe malfunction.

"I haven’t been home.

"The (team) manager Gav (Dovey) said 'make sure you bring it wherever we go just in case', but I haven’t been home so I haven’t had the chance to get it.

"I’ll have to carry it around in the future."

The fact Smith was thrust back into the role he had quietly hoped he might return to if circumstances and sentiment allowed meant he hadn't time to dwell on how it might be received by fans at the ground, or by the broader cricket community.

That query was loudly and unambiguously answered around 8.30pm on Thursday night – less than 12 hours after waking to a flurry of text messages – when he replaced long-time teammate David Warner in the middle of Adelaide Oval.

The ovation accompanying Warner's departure for 95 was enthusiastic, but rose in intensity as Smith walked to the wicket engaging in his usual array of stretching and limbering routines.

“It was nice," Australia's stand-in captain reflected.

"It was pretty loud when I came out to bat.

"I always felt like I had the support of people here in Australia and it's always special when you lead your country.

"The circumstances with Patty being out – it’s an honour, but … I’ll continue helping Patty when I can."

Vodafone Men's Ashes

Squads

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner

England: Joe Root (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Schedule

First Test: Australia won by nine wickets

Second Test: December 16-20, Adelaide Oval

Third Test: December 26-30, MCG

Fourth Test: January 5-9, SCG

Fifth Test: January 14-18, Blundstone Arena