Former Channel 9 commentator, Australian captain and current Cricket Australia Director, Mark Taylor, believes suspended captain Steve Smith can return to the top role in the side.
After a holiday to the US, Steve Smith has returned home eager to get back to business and earn the respect of the Australian team and fans after the ball tampering scandal.
Smith will be in the frame to return to the side ahead of the World Cup campaign in the United Kingdom, but cannot fill a leadership role until at least March 2019.
"I still think Steve Smith can captain Australia," Taylor, who presented Smith with his captaincy blazer in 2014, told the Nine Network's Sports Sunday when asked who the long-term captain should be.
After seeing the incident, Taylor believes that Smith being labelled a cheat is unfair, and that he was a victim of negligence.
"He's not a cheat, he's a very good person."
New Head Coach, Justin Langer, will be influential in the naming of the squad to face England in their one-day series this year.
Tim Paine, the current Test captain may be the likely choice, however former Twenty20 captain Aaron Finch may take the role of captaincy in the limited overs form ahead of the World Cup.
Langer has already stated that he would welcome all three players involved in the ball tampering scandal back into the team, if they were in form, something that Taylor believes could help Smith mature with his role within the team.
"I think if he ever does come back and captain Australia it will make him a better captain," Taylor said.
