‘He’s best suited to No.4’: Langer says Smith less effective as opener

Justin Langer believes Australia’s selectors have deprived the Test team of its best player batting in his best position by promoting Steve Smith to opener.

The former Australian coach was echoing similar opinions voiced by Smith’s current opening partner, Usman Khawaja, and former opener Matthew Hayden as the five-Test series against India approaches.

“He’s the greatest player we’ve had,” Langer said on the Cricket et al podcast. “Great players adapt, they can bat anywhere in the order. For the Australian cricket team, I think he’s best suited to bat number four.”

Smith, 35, moved up to open the batting following David Warner’s retirement last January, allowing selectors to fit talented all-rounder Cameron Green back into the side.

While Smith averaged 60 in two Tests against the West Indies, he managed just 51 runs at 12.75 in New Zealand and has an overall average of 28.5 when opening, compared to a career average of 56.97 across 109 Tests.

Smith’s average reached 64 during a brilliant Ashes tour in 2019, but has steadily fallen since. This is the first time since 2015 his average has dropped below 57.

Justin Langer has added his voice to the chorus calling for Steve Smith to return to No.4Credit: Getty

“I think it’s a really specialised position,” Langer said of batting at No.4. “It’s not that he can’t do it [open the batting]. I’d love to see him bat at No.4, but then they have to work out who doesn’t play.

“My observation was that it was more about trying to get Cameron Green in and Mitch Marsh had taken that [all-rounders’] role, but they wanted to get the best young player into the XI.”

Usman Khawaja, 37, “always loved” Steve Smith at No.4, where he has scored most of his runs – 5966 at 61.51 with 22 of his 32 centuries.

“I know Steve Smith can score runs at one, two, three, four, five or six, but the man averages 60 at four, so my preference has always been Smudge [Smith] at four,” Khawaja said during a recent Cricket Australia content capture day.

Steve Smith managed scores of 11 and nine opening the batting in Christchurch during a poor tour of New Zealand.Credit: Getty

“I love seeing him come in at No. 4 … you get two wickets, and who do you get walking in? The best batsman in the world. When you put him up to open, I feel like you’re kind of giving them a chance to get at him early.”

Hayden believes moving Smith to a “completely different position” is “crazy”.

“The role of an opening batsman compared to a middle-order batsman is very different,” Hayden said in India last week. “And it didn’t take long to discover that when you get into challenging conditions – like they faced in the first series outside of Australia, which was in New Zealand – that opening the batting is very difficult.”

Smith said he was “comfortable” batting anywhere.

“We’ll see what that looks like ... whether they want me to continue [opening the batting] or go back to three or four. We’ll wait and see,” Smith said at the recent Cricket Australia content capture. “I’m pretty easy batting anywhere.”