Former Australia Test opener Phil Jacques believes that stand-in Test skipper Steve Smith not only has the perfect game for all three formats of cricket, but feels that his captaincy responsibilities could quite easily be extended to the ODI and Twenty20 squads.
Smith's instant success with the bat as Test skipper has presented Cricket Australia with the perfect opportunity to go one further and put the young batsman in charge of the World Cup side.
With the World Cup looming in February on home soil and a busy 2015 ahead, the pressure's going to be on CA to preserve Smith's youthful enthusiasm and not work him into the ground, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Jacques said that Smith's the sort of guy who would stay fresh mentally and be able to carry on and play all those three forms of the game and do well in the captaincy role. He added that he has no doubt that Smith is up to it if that was the way CA went.
Jacques claimed that Smith is a very clever guy, adding that he doesn't let a game drift. He said that George Bailey has led the one-day team with distinction over the last 12 months, adding that there's an abundance of leaders around.
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Jacques claimed that Brad Haddin is a very good leader too, but added that he doesn't see any reason why Smith couldn't do all three forms as well. He claimed that the stand-in skipper would handle it no problem.
Jacques claimed that he doesn't think captaincy would affect Smith's game. He believes that it would probably help his game if anything.
Test and one-day skipper Michael Clarke is in doubt for the February/March World Cup in Australia and New Zealand because of hamstring surgery, which makes Bailey the current man in charge.
Bailey led Australia to a series victory over South Africa in Australia last month after Clarke broke down in the first game of the five-match series, with Smith, who scored 254 at 84.66, being named player of the series, the report added.
