Steven Smith to end his stint as opener to return at No.4 for BGT according to CA chief selector George Bailey.
Steven Smith is all set to move back to his natural position of number 4 for the marquee series against India.
Chief Selector George Bailey spoke about Smith contemplating returning back to his spot. Smith’s term as an opener has not been smooth sailing. Apart from a brisk 91* against West Indies in Brisbane, his returns at the top have not been befitting for a batter of his stature.
The speculation caught pace after his poor run against New Zealand that seen him score only 171 runs averaging just 28.50.
“Pat, Andrew and Steven Smith had been having ongoing conversations separate to the untimely injury to Cameron anyway.” Bailey said after the announcement of the ODI squad for the Pakistan series and the Australia A squad.
“And I think Steve had expressed a desire to move back down from that opening position. Pat and Andrew have confirmed that he will be dropping back down the order for the summer. So, yeah, clearly we’ve got a No. 4 spot to fill and an opening spot to fill.”
“Part of those discussions are what it might look like,” he said. “But I guess once you do get moving parts, a lot of those conversations become null and void.”
The focus then shifts to Australia’s home openers. There is a race to witness which player will separate out of the competition to be paired with Usman Khawaja. In the 17-man Australia A squad that will play India A in two four-day matches beginning on October 31 and November 7. The three openers picked were Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft, and the teenage wonder Sam Konstas from New South Wales.
After Warner retired, Renshaw was the backup for Australia in the side for their series against West Indies and NewZealand. He was altogether not in the A squad, but Bailey indicates this does not mean they were done with him.
“No, we still really like Matt’s ability to play,” Bailey said. “As far as Australia A selection goes. Part of the process around that is trying to identify opportunities that may come around in the short term for any opportunities that that might pop up. But consequently we do keep an eye on opportunities for players who become important in the future as well.
“So whilst there’s an Australia A squad there. I think Matt Renshaw, Pete Handscomb, Nic Maddinson as three examples. These are guys who we’ll continue to watch really closely in Shield cricket.”