Cricket World Cup: Aussie star Steve Smith looks to grab Shane Watson’s No.3 Test role

STEVE Smith wants to be Australia’s new Test No.3 and there’s no reason why a changing of the guard won’t happen when the team tours West Indies in June.

Australia v Afghanistan

STEVE Smith wants to be Australia’s new Test No.3 and there’s no reason why a changing of the guard won’t happen by the time the team tours West Indies in June.

The first-drop position is the most pivotal in the order and Australia’s failure to find a star performer there since Ricky Ponting’s retirement has been a prime reason why the side has struggled to be a consistent force.

Like Ponting before him, Smith is a young leader yearning for that extra responsibility and the challenge of rising under pressure.

Steve Smith takes a catch in front of the onrushing Mitchell Marsh.

WE DON’T NEED WATTO TO WIN CUP: CLARKE

AUSSIE ROMP SEES RECORDS TUMBLE

AUSTRALIA RECORDS BIGGEST EVER WORLD CUP WIN

Now Shane Watson has been axed from the World Cup starting XI, his hold on the Test No.3 position appears tenuous at best given the record summer Smith has just produced.

Watson’s best chance of keeping his place for the Ashes may be to reinvent himself as a No.5 and play in conjunction with fellow all-rounder Mitchell Marsh at 6.

Smith, David Warner and Michael Clarke are the three best batsmen in the side and should all be in the top four to give Australia the best chance of winning the Ashes away from home.

Smith wasted no time laying down a marker of exactly what he expects from himself at No.3 against Afghanistan in Perth, with both his actions and words speaking volumes.

He notched a classy 95 as part of a record 260-run stand with Warner, before declaring the time has come for the Australian top order to stop relying on the likes of James Faulkner to bail them out of trouble in big matches.

Smith has the mentality to be Australia’s batting quarterback, and the skills to back it up.

Steve Smith now wants Shane Watson’s spot in the Aussie Test batting order.

“If I got put up to No.3 (in Tests) I’d be happy to take on that responsibility, that’s for sure,” said Smith.

“That’s not up to me at the moment, obviously Michael is the captain.

“I enjoy batting at three. I have obviously had a little bit of success there in the one-day (tri-series).

“It was obviously disappointing for Watto to miss out … I was quite shocked to be honest, I didn’t see it coming. But hopefully I can continue my form up there.

“For us as a batting group we have been a little bit disappointing with the ways we’ve got out and we’ve put a big emphasis on the top four or five getting the bulk of the runs.

“We have probably left it up to guys like Faulkner, who bats at No.8, to get the job done and it’s a luxury to have him batting at No.8, but it’s not his job to do it every game.”

Australia remain favourites to win this World Cup, and certainly on their day, they’re an unstoppable force.

But all too often in the past year, they’ve found themselves losing three early wickets and putting pressure on the middle order.

The combination of Aaron Finch, Warner and Watson all went hard at the start, which in theory could be destructive, but if things went pear shaped, the next men in weren’t always capable of steadying the ship.

That’s essentially why Watson has lost his place in the team, because he was no longer reliable enough to lay that platform.

But in Smith, Australia have more balance. Here is a cricketer who knows his game back to front and believes batting with Finch and Warner will bring out his best.

Smith scored a spectacular unbeaten hundred against England in Hobart earlier this summer in an ODI, and Wednesday’s performance against Afghanistan was further evidence of what he can bring.

Smith didn’t try to go shot for shot with the explosive Warner, but rather played the role of anchoring the innings.

“I enjoy batting with the guys at the top, it allows me to get into my innings and play the ball as I see it and I don’t have to rush or anything like that,” he said.

“I was happy to get to the other end and watch (Warner’s) fireworks.

Originally published as Cricket World Cup: Aussie star Steve Smith looks to grab Shane Watson’s No.3 Test role