Smith not fit to be Australian captain, says spinner O''Keeffe : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

Smith not fit to be Australian captain, says spinner O''Keeffe

MELBOURNE: Steve Smith is not "temperamentally sound enough" to lead Australia, says former spinner Kerry O''Keeffe, who feels the skipper over-reacted too often during the lost Test series against India.

Smith not fit to be Australian captain, says spinner O''Keeffe

File photo of Australia''s captain Steve Smith during a training session at The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on March 24, 2017. —AFP



Melbourne, March 29

Steve Smith is not "temperamentally sound enough" to lead Australia, says former spinner Kerry O'Keeffe, who feels the skipper over-reacted too often during the lost Test series against India.

Australia lost the series 2-1 and Smith apologised for letting his "emotions falter" several times during the four-match rubber, which was marred by acrimony between the two sides.

 (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

O'Keeffe feels Smith led with sincerity but he is too emotional for the high-pressure job.

"He leads from the front (and) he's finding out about leadership," O'Keeffe said on 'Fox Sports' Back Page Live'. "Is he temperamentally sound enough to be the captain of our country? Probably not because he's so emotional. We've seen when he's on the field he's overly reacting to everything," added the leg-spinner, who played 24 Tests for Australia and picked 53 wickets.

O'Keeffe cited Smith's outburst and use of cuss words after Murali Vijay claimed a grassed catch of Glenn Maxwell to justify his stance.

"That catch was (not) cleanly taken. He decided to go with the cheat line. There's an emotion to Steve Smith that basically is at the core of his game," O'Keeffe said.

Smith, however, had a fantastic series with the bat, making 499 runs. —PTI

Top News

High alert across Uttar Pradesh after gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's death

High alert across Uttar Pradesh after gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's death

Umar Ansari alleged that his father was subjected to slow po...

Mukhtar Ansari was subjected to slow poisoning in jail: Son

Mukhtar Ansari was subjected to slow poisoning in jail: Son

Ansari's post-mortem to be conducted in UP by panel of five ...

PM Modi in conversation with Bill Gates, says India has democratised technology, aims to end digital divide

PM Modi, in conversation with Bill Gates, says India has democratised technology, aims to end digital divide

Says tech can play big role in agriculture, education, healt...

10 killed as SUV falls into gorge in J-K’s Ramban

10 people killed after SUV falls into gorge in J-K’s Ramban

The vehicle, a Tavera, was on its way from Srinagar to Jammu


Cities

View All