‘Wouldn’t have a clue’: Smith’s T20 World Cup chances a mystery

Steve Smith is unsure whether he will play on Friday night against the West Indies, let alone the Twenty20 World Cup beginning in Australia later this month.

Dropped for Wednesday’s opening game against the West Indies on the Gold Coast after a modest run of T20 performances, Smith has “no idea” if he will regain his place at the Gabba for the second and final match in the series.

Steve Smith on Wednesday, when he was dropped for the opening T20 match against the West Indies.Credit: Getty Images

“I’m not really sure,” Smith said in Brisbane on Thursday. “The reasons I got told was they wanted six bowling options with obviously Mitch Marsh not bowling and (Marcus) Stoinis not here.”

Cameron Green played as the sixth bowling option and continued to open the batting as the selectors rest and rotate players ahead of Australia’s first T20 World Cup match against New Zealand in Sydney on October 22.

The good news for Smith is that while Green may also be a roadblock for the three-match T20 series beginning against England in Perth on Sunday, the towering all-rounder is not in Australia’s World Cup squad of 15.

Green may yet be included if one of the current squad members is injured.

Marcus Stoinis returns to the Australian side for Sunday’s T20 match against England in Perth.Credit: AP

Despite being unable to bowl, Mitch Marsh returned on Wednesday for his first match following an ankle injury, scoring three in Australia’s unconvincing three-wicket victory. He has now flown home to Perth to prepare for the T20 series against England.

This may open up a place for Smith to bat at number three on Friday night, but the return may be short-lived with Marsh and Stoinis, who has recovered from a side strain, available for the England series.

“I had a good solid bowl yesterday,” Stoinis said in his home city of Perth on Thursday. “Our physio Nick Jones is over here as well so they ticked all that off and had a good look.

“I reckon I could have played [against West Indies]. But it wasn’t worth it because of the travel over there.”

Stoinis, Kane Richardson, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson and Nathan Ellis return to the Australian men’s squad for the first match of the T20 Series against England in Perth on Sunday.

Stoinis, Richardson and Agar will rejoin the squad for the England Series and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup while Swepson and Ellis have been added to the squad only for the opening game in Perth.

Swepson comes in for Adam Zampa who, along with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell, will remain on the east coast to continue World Cup preparations.

Richardson and Marsh flew to Perth on Thursday to prepare for the opening England match.

Zampa, Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and Maxwell return for the second and third England games in Canberra while Green remains in the squad for the England series.

Mitchell Starc is one of five players who will be rested from the first T20 match against England in Perth on Sunday.Credit: Getty Images

Asked about suggestions that he may be chosen on more difficult bowler-friendly pitches to help guide the innings as a steady player, Smith replied: “I wouldn’t have a clue, to be honest with you.

“We’ve got a really good depth to our squad. Obviously Tim David’s come in and done really well. And everyone’s in a good place so yeah, we’ll wait and see. People talk about match-ups for different oppositions and conditions.”

With David Warner returning to the top of the order on Wednesday after missing the three-match T20 tour of India and Green left to partner him, captain Aaron Finch dropped himself down to number four, a spot Smith would often fill.

Finch was player of the match on Wednesday night with 58 (off 53 balls), pairing with Matthew Wade (39 not out in 29 balls) to set up the narrow victory.

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