Steve Smith has called upon the Australian public to play their part in the post-Ashes rebuild after being named Michael Clarke’s successor as Australia captain.
With Clarke granted time off in London to prepare for what will be his 115th and final Test at the Kia Oval next week, the tourists were summoned to a morning meeting at their Northampton hotel on Friday at which the chairman of selectors, Rod Marsh, and coach Darren Lehmann confirmed Smith would become Test and one-day captain with David Warner his deputy.
“I know it’s an important role I’m stepping into now and hopefully I can have the backing of all the public back home,” Smith said. “It’s really important to have the public behind you and I’m sure they will come out and support us in numbers. I’m really excited about this opportunity and looking forward to everything that lies ahead.
“We could potentially have quite a different side going to Bangladesh for my first Test tour and we have got a few new players in the one-day team. It’s going to be about getting a team delivered and heading in the same direction, with the same goals.”
