Australia captain Pat Cummins has opined on Steve Smith’s new role in the side as they get ready for the two-match series starting on Wednesday (Jan 17) in Adelaide. Smith, 34, will be seen opening the Australian innings for the first time in his Test career after David Warner’s retirement. While there were speculations of drafting experienced and specialist openers, the Australian team management instead went for Smith ahead of Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Pat Cummins has his say on Smith
“I’ve never seen him as happy and as energetic as I’ve seen him around the nets the last couple of days. He can’t wait to get out there. Also think the new ball, maybe [there will be] a few more scoring options. It’s something that excites him. So that makes sense and getting Greeny a spot where we think he is set up to succeed,” Cummins said ahead of the first Test match.
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Smith has been part of the Australian side for over a decade and has three years of good cricket left in him. Nearing 10,000 Test runs, Smith’s new role could see him benefit from more runs and accolades with the national side. Only Ricky Ponting (41) has more Test hundreds than Smith (32) for Australia while he is also the fourth-highest run scorer for the Baggy Greens with 9514 runs in 105 Tests.
Smith’s promotion to top order also means that Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris will have to wait for their turn to get into the Test team. Harris was backed by Warner to succeed him while Bancroft has been in excellent touch in Sheffield Shield. However, it was Renshaw who was preferred to fill the void left by Warner. Interestingly, despite being Warner’s replacement in the squad, he is unlikely to make the Playing XI, instead, Cameron Green will be preferred in a middle-order role.
Green’s chances of playing were restricted after Mitchell Marsh’s rise in Test format in 2023. He played in one of the Ashes Tests in England, but will now get the nod and an opportunity to cement his place in the side.
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