I’m serious: Smith’s shift never a joke

Former Australian captain says it was his responsibility to assume the duties of opener to give Cameron Green the best chance to establish himself in the Australian side.

Steve Smith outside Adelaide Oval ahead of his new role as Test opener Picture: Getty Images

Steve Smith had been pushing to fill in at the top of the order for David Warner as far back as the Ashes, but says the selectors didn’t seem to take him seriously.

Things changed a fortnight ago, however, when The Australian put on record that Smith was understood to be quietly serious about the bid and “more open to the idea” than people thought.

“I’d kind of been pushing it for a few weeks, even before Perth I think, and I might have floated it in England just randomly and said ‘I’ll get up top and I’m happy to play up top’,” Smith said.

“But yeah, in Perth, I kind of said ‘you know after Davey’s done I’m actually keen to get up there’ and I don’t think they sort of took me seriously until I got to Sydney and I was like, ‘No, you know, I’m actually being genuine here, I’d be keen to get up top and face the new ball’ and they were like, ‘all right, well, we’ll take that under advisement and, see how it all looks’.”

Smith said he was partially motivated by the knowledge that his move would allow Cameron Green, who has been out of the side since breaking down in the Ashes, to return to the XI lower down the order.

“They’re obviously very keen to get Cameron in the side as well, I think and sort of play our best six batters, and for me, it didn’t sort of sit right having him come in and bat up top,” he said.

“You know, I’ve played for a long time and I’m an experienced player and I think it’s something that I should have done so, yeah, I was key.

“He’s (Green) a good player and I think he’s suited to No.4. (He) plays there in Shield cricket and does well there.

“I think he’s a bit like me in terms of I don’t think he likes to wait too much. You don’t have to wait as long at four as you do at six.

“So it’s a good opportunity for him and that was part of my reason for wanting to go up the order.

“He is going to do a great job there.”

Smith said there had been no discussion with selectors over what would happen if his move to the top of the order failed.

“I don’t like thinking that way,” he said. “I don’t want to think negative thoughts at all.

“You know if someone gets injured in the middle and the next batter in is a genuine opener, then, you know, maybe they slot back in there and I go back down, but for right now we’ve got what we believe is our best six batters playing and I’m slotting in up top.”

Smith maintains that he has often batted against the new ball when he was at No.3 and a wicket fell early, but part of the rationale appears to be an attempt to avoid having to face a short-ball attack from the moment he walks to the wicket.

The former captain has been subject to short bowling with a heavy leg-side field since Jofra Archer concussed him at Lord’s in 2019.

His career batting average peaked at 65 in that series, but has been in steady decline since teams changed tactics.

Smith has had the tendency to get bogged down in scenarios where he comes in mid-innings, but expects to come out of the blocks a little faster at the top of the order and said sides would be unwilling to bowl short regularly with the new ball.

“I think it helps the scoring rate for sure,” he said.

“When you’re facing the new ball and there’s a bit more attacking going on, I think.

“Over the last few years I’ve come in after quite a lot of runs and the ball’s a bit softer. You have a cover in and maybe four on the leg side and guys are bowling straight and able to control the scoreboard I suppose a bit more and it’s probably kept me quieter and made me face a lot more balls to score runs. So perhaps that changes a bit with the new ball. You obviously have a bit more attacking fields and a bit more gaps out there to score runs.”