Australia v West Indies: Test squad named with Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw big winners

Australia selector George Bailey has denied suggestions Steve Smith’s move to the top of the order is a stopgap, backing the cricket great to make the position his own.

Steve Smith could finish his Test career as an opener with Australian selection chair George Bailey quashing suggestions moving the former captain to the top of the order was purely a stopgap.

Bailey lauded Smith for his selflessness after the batting great volunteered to replace David Warner as Usman Khawaja’s opening partner, a move that paves the way for Cameron Green to return to the XI at No. 4 – in the next week’s first Test against the West Indies in Adelaide.

Owing to the unusual circumstances, the joint moves were confirmed by Bailey who announced Australia’s XI seven days out from the start of the series and just hours after the 13-man squad – the key details of which were revealed by this masthead on Tuesday – was officially unveiled.

Bailey said that the selection panel’s determination to pick the best six batters available shaped their decision to move Smith, 34, into the new role.

Cameron Green (C) is set to reclaim his spot in the Australian Test XI, with Steve Smith (L) moving to the top of the order. Picture: Getty Images

“First and foremost, the regard in which we hold Cameron, and I think the way the rest of that batting order is functioning left us feeling like we have someone who we think is pretty talented who potentially was going to find it hard to get any Test cricket in in the next 12 months or so,” Bailey said.

“So working through some of the solutions to that and how he could potentially slot in and where that could be. Steve is obviously motivated and energised and keen to do it. There were plenty within the team who were pretty keen to go on record and say that they weren’t keen to do it. So it was refreshing that Steve had come forward and said he wanted.

“It’s something that he’s motivated to do and feels like he can do this, I guess for someone who has achieved as much as he has over such a long period of time across all formats. It’s a challenge or an itch that he’d like to scratch. And ultimately, it’s for us as a team, it’s something that fits and it’s I guess, from that point of view, it’s selfless that clearly he wants to do it.”

Despite Smith’s lack of experience at the top of the order, Bailey said the move was not an “experiment” and that Smith could conceivably have an extended run facing the new ball.

“He’s keen for this to be a significant chapter in his career. As far as the panel goes, and I think we’ve been pretty consistent in in saying that we don’t look too far ahead.

“We’ve obviously got these two Test matches against the West Indies. We go to New Zealand: different conditions, different challenge. We’ll have more information then. We’ve clearly got a big gap of Test cricket then and then India over the summer, but for all intents and purposes, this is where Steve wants to stay.”

Bailey said that the idea of opening being a specialist role was not necessarily rooted in fact, with Khawaja’s Test success in the last couple of years despite batting in the middle order for Queensland a recent example of a quality batter being adaptable.

“It’s an interesting one, because I feel like over the last couple of weeks I’ve heard the line specialist opener more than I’ve ever heard in my life. And I think if you go back historically, and look at the last 30, 35 Australian openers. I reckon over 50 per cent of them actually weren’t openers, didn’t start as openers,” Bailey said.

“So I don’t know what comes first, the specialist bit or the opportunity to perform. It probably says to me that your best batters are generally your best batters and the best problem solvers and then technically most proficient as well and they find a way to adapt, but I think ultimately, the results will be the judge of that.

“The opportunity will decide whether we end up talking about Steve Smith as someone who has the admiration and respect as some of those former Australian openers who we look upon as openers and can’t remember betting anywhere else.”

Steve Smith has been backed to succeed at the top of the order. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

As also flagged by this masthead, selectors have named paceman Lance Morris in the one-day international squad for the first time, with several of the World Cup-winning side rested and Marcus Stoinis dropped from the squad after losing his place in the XI in India.

Smith will captain the side in Pat Cummins’ absence, while Warner has retired from the format while leaving the door ajar to a return in the Champions Trophy next year.

“It is a little over 12 months until the Champions Trophy and further opportunities for the likes of Aaron Hardie, Matt Short, Jhye Richardson, and Nathan Ellis will be valuable both to our ongoing improvement as a team and also further their personal experiences in ODI cricket,” Bailey said.

“The squad strikes a balance between players continuing to make their mark on international cricket, playing alongside some of our most experienced players with an eye to the future in this format.”

Originally published as Australia v West Indies: Test squad named with Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw big winners