The Australian team management has landed in a tricky situation after David Warner bid adieu to Test cricket last week. The opener, who has donned the whites for Australia in 112 Tests, played the last red-ball game of his career against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground. While Australia will certainly miss the services of Warner at the top of the batting order, the team now demands a new partner for Usman Khawaja in the opening slots.
Several players including the likes of Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris, Matt Renshaw and Cameron Green are in the race to fill the vacant space of Warner. But Marnus Labuschagne, the youngest cricketer in the current Australian Test squad, has a different name in his mind.
According to Labuschagne, Steve Smith can be the best fit as an opener, considering his calm approach and rich experience. Ahead of making a return to the Big Bash League (BBL) for Brisbane Heat, Labuschagne shared his view about Australia’s potential batting order for the upcoming Test series against West Indies on home soil.
“If Steve does get the nod from captain Pat Cummins, the selectors and the coaches, I’ve got no doubt he’ll do a good job as an opener,” The Age quoted Labuschagne as saying.
Keeping aside Labuschagne’s prediction, Smith has never played as an opener in Tests. He prefers arriving at the crease when the ball becomes slightly old. However, Labuschagne seemed hopeful that Smith would definitely accept the challenge.
“I think he is always excited for a new challenge. If that motivates him and gives the cricket world Steve Smith another two years or three years, I think that’s a massive win,” Labuschagne explained.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has also endorsed Smith for the role of a Test opener. Speaking on ESPN’s Around the Wicket Podcast, a confident Clarke said, “If Smith wants to open the batting and they give him the chance, he will be the No 1 Test opener within 12 months.”
During his decorated Test career, Steve Smith has batted in three different positions. He has recorded the best average (67) while batting at No. 3. The 34-year-old has looked equally comfortable playing as an anchor man at No. 4 and 5. Smith has featured in 105 Tests, scoring a total of 9,514 runs including 32 centuries and 40 fifties.
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