Macquarie Sports Radio Breakfast With John Stanley & Beau Ryan

Former Australian cricket Captain Ian Chappell has defended the captaincy of Tim Paine amidst reports that star batsman Steve Smith should be reinstated as leader of the national team.  Smith, who was notoriously stripped of his captaincy after the infamous 'sandpapergate' scandal has enjoyed a sensational year so far, leading Australia to retain the Ashes in England, forcing many pundits to agree that Smith should have the 'C' next to his name again.  However, Chappell does agree that as Australia has an absent of notable leaders, Smith may well be reinstated as captain.  “I think Tim Paine has done a good job in extenuating circumstances, and I don’t understand some of the criticism he gets," Chappell said.  “My only point is that when Tim Paine does decide to retire and you’re looking ahead, I don’t see anyone else there who can take over the captaincy. So I think that Steve Smith could become captain again purely because there’s no other alternatives