How Steve Smith became captain at bar with Brad Haddin and Mark Taylor

Steve Smith met with two greats of Australian cricket at a bar in Adelaide, A short time later, Smith was Test captain.

Australian skipper Steve Smith in his biography ‘The Journey’ has revealed how a candid discussion with Brad Haddin and Cricket Australia (CA) board member Mark Taylor at a pub led to him becoming Australia’s captain, replacing Michael Clarke. Smith started captaining the side from 2014 after Michael Clarke got injured. The Aussie skipper has revealed that the captaincy came to him in the most unexpected manner, in a bar. It was when Mark Taylor, member of Cricket Australia, Brad Haddin and Smith went out for a drink after the Adelaide Oval Test, and the suggestion was made by Brad Haddin. Smith became Australia’s youngest Test captain since Kim Hughes, in 2014, when he led the side for three games after Michael Clarke’s back injury. Formally, his promotion came after Cricket Australia’s board ratified the recommendation from chairman of selectors Rod Marsh that Smith be given the responsibility ahead of vice-captain Brad Haddin.

Here is how the discussion may have started,

“‘Don’t you want to do it then?’ he (Taylor) said to Brad with a smile, perhaps thinking he was joking,” Smith wrote as per cricket.com.au. “‘Are you serious?’ said Mark, and then he turned to me and said: ‘are you ready?’.

“I had absolutely no doubts that I was and said so, and with that Mark said, ‘I’ll go and make some calls then’.”

Steve Smith added, “I got a call from Rod Marsh the next morning, saying ‘we’ve endorsed you as captain, we’re still waiting on all the board to approve it and stuff but dare say it’ll go through. So congratulations you’re going to be the 45th Test captain’. That was quite amazing to hear those kind of things. Growing up as kid you just want to play cricket for Australia and have that dream, but to captain the side was quite amazing.”

The next week, Smith received his captain's blazer from Mark Taylor and led Australia to victory over India at the Gabba, while also making hundreds in his first three Tests in charge. Smith revisits several key moments in his Test career in the book, both good and bad, while he details four big goals on his cricket bucket list. Smith also expresses his desire to win both the Ashes and one-day World Cup in 2019, with England hosting both major events.