I think that is correct re Smith (ie, he’s partway through his 12 month additional captaincy ban, which I think started when he was eligible to play again, which I recall as April).
I never really understood why bowlers don’t get picked to captain (potentially influenced by the fact I was a bowler, who captained at low levels). I get that there are (mild?) advantages to having a batsman do it, but it’s surprising to me how seldom selectors are willing to back a specific individual to overcome them - there are only 11 options on each team, and bowlers usually make up more than a third of them!
Selectors seem much more willing to choose keepers, who have quite a difficult role as is as I see it, and are now expected to bat well in addition to their keeping and potentially captaincy responsibilities.