"When Tim's time is up I'd like to see Steve Smith have another go"

Ricky Ponting believes the disgraced former captain is ready to assume the mantel of leading the Australia Test team again but only when Paine's time is up

Steve Smith has unfinished business as Australia captain and should replace Tim Paine when the wicket-keeper stands down, according to Ricky Ponting.

Smith was stripped of the leadership role and banned for 12 months for his part in the ball-tampering affair in March 2018.

The reprimand also included being prohibited from holding a position of authority for 24 months, a punishment which is due to run out at the start of 2020.

Despite leading Australia to retaining the Ashes against England, Paine's value to the Test team has been questioned.

He averages just 31.45 in Tests and though he scored a first-class century for the first time in 13 years for Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield the form and recent improvement of Alex Carey has put his place under pressure.

"It's the million-dollar question: when Steve Smith's ban is up will he go straight back into the captaincy or will he not?" Ponting, who captained Australia in 77 Tests, 229 one-day internationals and 17 T20Is, told 7NEWS.

"To be honest I think it's up to Tim how long he plays. He's the best keeper in the world. If he takes some of his Shield form into Test cricket in the summer and makes a lot of runs I think he can play for a few more years yet.

NOW READ: Mitch Marsh reflects on freak injury: "It's pretty uncharacteristic of me to punch a wall"

"Whether that's as captain or not that's up to the hierarchy at Cricket Australia to make that decision. I've been on record already - when Tim's time is up I'd like to see Steve Smith have another go.

"I think he probably feels like there's unfinished business there as far as his captaincy's concerned. He's got to want to do it and obviously then the authorities have to say yes or no."

Ponting, who assisted Australia during the World Cup when Smith worked as an understudy to ODI skipper Aaron Finch, added: "You've got to look at who's the best man for the job as far as the captaincy's concerned.

"If it's not Tim and it's not Steve, I'm not sure who the next one is right now. I think that's the big question that needs to be answered.

"(Smith) loves the responsibility, there's no doubt about that. He wanted to bat at No.3 through the World Cup, he wanted to be the main man.

"If he's captain again I don't think it'll hinder his batting at all. If it's the right thing for the team to have him captain we'll win more games as a result of that."