'Relaxed' Steve Smith to again captain Australia

Still a "competitive beast", Steve Smith's captaincy is far more relaxed these days, according to long-time Australia teammate Mitchell Starc. Smith will lead Australia for the third time this year when the Ashes gets underway in Perth on Friday, due to Pat Cummins still recovering from a back injury. The 36-year-old also filled in as skipper the last time England toured Australia in 2021-22, after Cummins was forced to isolate for the Adelaide Test during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be the seventh time Smith has captained Australia in Tests since his full-time reign came to an end because of Sandpapergate in 2018. Smith led Australia to a 2-0 series win in Sri Lanka earlier this year after Cummins missed the tour due to the birth of his second child. Having recaptured some of his batting greatness during the past 12 months, Smith's change in demeanour hasn't gone unnoticed. "I'm not going to pretend to know what his approach about batting is," Starc said. "He's a lot more relaxed as a person all round. "Even the times that he's captained since, when he's had to fill in for Pat, it's a different approach. "I've obviously spent a lot of time playing with Steven and playing under Steve as captain. "He's still as sharp as ever with his mind about what he wants to achieve, or how he thinks about the game of cricket. "Particularly off the field, he's a little bit more relaxed in his approach. "He's still that competitive beast, and still wants to be the best, and still will leave no stone unturned. "But I think he's finding a few outlets to actually switch off from time to time, whether it's around golf and just not be cricket 100 per cent of the time." Twelve of Smith's 36 Test centuries have come against England, but he was below his best during the last home Ashes four years ago. Almost written off this time 12 months ago, Smith remerged as a force when he smashed four tons in five Tests either side of the New Year. Sure to send a scare through the England camp, Smith's average is an immense 68.98 in his 40 Tests as Australia captain. His average drops to a still-impressive 49.90 when not skipper. Smith's conversion rate as captain is also staggering, hitting 17 centuries and 14 fifties, compared to 19 and 29 when not leader.