Steve Smith refused to be drawn on whether the sanctions handed down to three Marylebone Cricket Club members over the infamous Lord’s Pavillion incident were appropriate, but maintained that those in the Long Room were in a privileged position to get as close to players as they do.
The MCC on Thursday night expelled one member and suspended another two for 54 months and 30 months respectively for “offensive or inappropriate behaviour or language” during the lunch break on day five of this year’s second Ashes Test.
The announcement came just as the opening match of the World Cup between England and New Zealand was starting in Ahmedabad.
The ugly scenes followed Australia’s decision to proceed with an appeal for Alex Carey’s stumping of the meandering Jonny Bairstow.
Usman Khawaja and David Warner were particularly riled by the conduct of the members.
Former Australian captain Smith, who posted a century during the match, said determining whether the penalties were fair was “outside of my paygrade” but stressed that members at Lord’s were in a fortunate position to have such proximity to players, where cricketers walk between patrons through the pavilion en route to the arena.
“It’s not really my place to say whether it was appropriate or not. You know, I think the MCC and Lord’s it’s a special place and people are in a privileged position I supposed to be close to us in the way we come out to the ground,” Smith said on Friday at Australia’s team hotel in Chennai ahead of training.
“It’s like nowhere else in the world. So, yeah, look, I’m not gonna comment on the sanctions or anything. It’s outside of my pay grade. But yeah it is what it is and we’ll move on.”
While the match was a triumph for Smith on a personal front, it was not without a cost. The all-time great hurt his wrist in the field during the match, an injury which afflicted him for the remainder of the series and forced him to miss Australia’s ensuing white-ball tour of South Africa.
But having had a cortisone injection, Smith said he was again fit and primed to perform in Australia’s World Cup campaign, which begins against hosts India on Sunday.
“It’s good actually. Yeah, had an injection back home before coming over here and it’s a lot better. I feel like I can use my wrists and decelerate in defence and all different things that I was struggling to do in England. So pleased that it’s come back that way and hopefully, it stays that way,” Smith said.
“It’s hard to put a number on (how much it hampered me). Just a few things were challenging, particularly defending and decelerating, the force that sort of goes through that was hard and just when I got in certain positions, it was a bit uncomfortable. Yeah, just hampered slightly, but you know, that happens sometimes.
“You’ve just got to find your way through it. But, yeah, it was good to have that break afterwards and try and get it right and then obviously the needle I had made a big difference. So yeah, like I said, hopefully it stays the way it is now.”
While Smith could be called upon to captain the side during the tournament if Pat Cummins is rested, he said he was hopeful Cummins would be able to get through all nine round-robin games.