If not Steven Smith, then who? Australia’s opening debate of the India series

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If not Steven Smith, then who? Australia’s opening debate of the India series

It’s the biggest debate in Australian cricket: will Steven Smith be Usman Khawaja’s opening partner in the Border-Gavaskar Test series against India in two months?

Australia’s exit from the T20 World Cup at the Super Eight stage didn’t earn much back home, and there hasn’t been a keen following of the current white-ball tour of the UK for information on the future of the T20I team or tips on which team to win the ODI. What will the World Cup look like without David Warner who has retired ahead of the Champions Trophy next year. There are eight ODIs and three T20Is to go before Australia resumes Test cricket.

But such is the way the Australians follow the men’s team, Warner’s long-term transition to the Test side is very interesting. Smith’s four-game hitting streak as an opener has been evenly split. Teammates, former players, commentators, writers and fans, without a single word, say he should be reinstated to number 4 despite Smith having requested the opening in the first place.

Smith’s move allowed Cameron Green to return to the side at number 4 and he responded by scoring 174 not out against New Zealand at Basin Reserve in March. Smith, however, endured a tough tour of New Zealand as an opener. Not out for 91 in his fourth innings against the West Indies in January, which is proof in his words that he can succeed in the role, he returned scores of 31, 0, 11 and 9 in Wellington and Christchurch on social media. they were very useful for new bowlers.

His comments on the opening position have since been noted. Back in January, he spoke about the desire to open to give himself a new challenge towards the end of his career and suggested that he would take a long time. Since then, he hasn’t backtracked publicly, but he has publicly commented on Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne’s comments about their choice to move back to No. 4. Khawaja was singled out this week for making Smith’s request.

“Maybe he will never say it, so I will say it to him,” said Khawaja Fox Sports. “Opening the most important position … I still think we have the best Test player of my era in the side, in Steve Smith, and his best position is number 4. I feel that the best balance in our team is Labuschagne three. , Smith four. “

It puts the Australian selectors in a bind. Coach Andrew McDonald said SEN last week no decision had been made and discussions were still ongoing, although he insisted that, barring injury, the six who took part in the New Zealand series would remain as the top six in the first Test against India. There may be an indication of the plans when the various players are available for Shield cricket next month.

So, if it’s not Smith who opens next to Khawaja, which might still happen, then who?

This represents the easiest and least disruptive option for the current situation, although it does not return Smith to No. 4. Labuschagne and Smith could simply switch positions respectively. Labuschagne has opened 15 times in first-class cricket including as recently as May this year when he made 111 for Glamorgan against Middlesex. He has as much experience opening in first-class cricket as Smith, Green, Travis Head, and Mitchell Marsh combined, which Green and Marsh never did.

Labuschagne opens with an average of just 34.86 in first-class cricket but has scored two centuries, including one at the WACA back in 2016 when he was still trying to establish himself as a first-class player. He also went out to bat eight times in Test cricket with his side yet to score and countless other times in the opening overs.