Could Steve Smith be the shock frontrunner to replace David Warner?

As Australia desperately tries to find an answer to replace David Warner, the solution may have been right under their nose the entire time, writes Ben Horne.

The biggest obstacle to Steve Smith becoming the shock choice as David Warner’s replacement has been removed: that is, his own outright objection to it.

Surprisingly, unlike Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh – it’s understood Smith is not completely against the idea of finishing his career as a Test opener.

This is landscape-changing news.

Selectors would love to find a way to thrust Cameron Green back into the top six, yet was reluctant to move anyone to the front of the furnace who didn’t want to be there.

If Smith went up to open it would be a genuine problem-solver for all sorts of reasons because it would allow Green to bat in the spot he covets – No. 4 – and it means key pillars for the future Labuschagne and Head don’t have to move from positions they have made their own.

Significantly, it would also mean that when veteran opener Usman Khawaja exits stage left – possibly in the next 12 months – the experienced Smith could be the man to chaperone the next opener through his initiation to the team.

Australia don’t need to think too long-term with Warner’s replacement.

David Warner’s replacement is unknown, could it be Steve Smith? (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

What they need is a two-year plan to beat India next summer, and England the one after that.

After that, succession plans can look after themselves.

Clearly a move to suddenly make Smith an opener at age 34 is not foolproof.

He has never opened and is an ultra-reliable presence in the middle-order that you would be loathed to burn with the new ball.

But there are also numerous upsides.

Smith actually averaged more (67.07) batting at first drop, where he was often in early against the brand new ball, than he does in his current position of No. 4 (61.77).

The short-pitched bowling tactics opposition teams have been able to use to decent effect against Smith in recent years would be harder to implement against him if he were opening batting, because you wouldn’t want to waste the shininess of the new ball.

As observed by one of Australia’s greatest converted openers, Shane Watson, Smith may also benefit from being presented with such a stimulating challenge at this late stage of his career.

Watson’s motivation is he believes all-rounder Green must find his way into the Australian XI – and this is a passion Australia’s selectors share, given coach Andrew McDonald has been spruiking the fact that 50 per cent of Australia’s Test openers were not specialists, but middle-order players who adapted to life against the new ball.

Steve Smith is not opposed to moving up the order. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Who knows, maybe leaping out of his comfort zone to open would keep Smith in the game longer than what is currently feared?

“When David Warner retires he (Green) has to find his way in and there’s talk that Marnus Labuschagne will open, but I like, knowing the person, the idea of Steve Smith opening,” Watson said at a live event with respected cricket journalists Peter Lalor and Gideon Haigh in Sydney this week.

“The reason why is that No. 3 is the perfect position for him. When he’s the man, he feels like he is the one who has to score the bulk of runs for his team and when he was in his most prolific period, which was a long period of time, most of it was batting at No.3.

“When he was at No. 3 he came in with the mindset of, ‘I am the guy who has to get us into position.’

“He was scoring runs for fun but when he comes in at four often the work’s been done and finding motivation is more challenging for him.

“Steve Smith opening the batting, he has got the technique, is the challenge he needs.

“My concern is that if Steve Smith isn’t given a challenge he might shut things down earlier than he needs.”