Australian hitter Steve Smith, who is having a hard patch, has indicated a wish to open the batting, as advised by former player Shane Watson.
Australia is looking for a new opening batter after David Warner announced his retirement from Test cricket following the third Test against Pakistan in Sydney.
Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft, and Cameron Green have all been mentioned, but former all-rounder Shane Watson came up with a surprising pick in Smith.
Steve Smith has never opened the batting in a Test match, but he desperately needs a spark to turn his current slump around.
On Day 3 of the third Test, he was dismissed for 38 in the first innings against Pakistan.
The former captain’s only other significant batting effort in the series was a tenacious fifty in the second innings of the Boxing Day Test.
After Stumps on Day 3 in Sydney, Smith told ABC Sport, “I’m happy to go up the top, yeah, I’m pretty keen if that’s what they want to do.”
The transition from No. 4 to opening will be significant, given the added obstacles that the latter job entails.
On the other hand, a fresh task may bring out the best in Steve Smith, sharpening him against the moving ball and allowing him to carve out a place for himself in the latter years of his career.
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Knowing Steve Smith, I enjoy the concept of his opening – Shane Watson’s
Shane Watson has previously justified Steve Smith’s abilities as a possible opener based on his brief but meaningful appearances at No. 3 for Australia.
The ace hitter has batted third in 29 innings, scoring 1,744 runs at an average of 67.08, which is higher than his total career average of 58.15.
Knowing Smith, I enjoy the concept of his opening. The reason for this is that No. 3 is his ideal position.
When he’s the guy, he feels like he needs to produce the most runs for his side, and most of his productive era, which was a lengthy period, was batting at No. 3, Watson stated before the third Test against Pakistan.
When he was at No. 3, he was scoring runs for enjoyment, but when he gets to No. 4,
the job is frequently done, and finding motivation becomes more difficult for him.
Opening the batting for Smith, who has the skill, is the challenge he requires.
Watson went on to say, “My concern is that if Steve Smith isn’t given a challenge, he might shut things down sooner than necessary.”
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