AUS vs WI: "Never Seen Him..." - Pat Cummins Makes Massive Revelation About 'Re-Energized' Steve Smith

Australian skipper Pat Cummins opened up about Steve Smith taking the role of opening in Test cricket for the series against West Indies. He said that he has never seen a batter as happy as energetic in the nets.

Steve Smith has been designated as the new Test opener for Australia in the Test cricket. This came after David Warner retired from the longest format of the game and left the spot at the top vacant, which made Australian management think a lot.

However, Steve Smith put his hand up and expressed his desire to open the innings. He got the role as selectors announced the squad for the upcoming Test series against West Indies. It will new challenge for the batter because he has batted in the middle order for most of his career.

Steve Smith has aced the No.4 position in the Test career. It was in this position that he shattered a lot of records and played some sensational innings. But with the kind of batter that he is, it won’t be a surprise if he ends up bossing the opening spot.

Pat Cummins admitted that it will be a new challenge for Steve Smith but he was quick to admit that one cannot underestimate the batter. He highlighted how a player like Smith, who has achieved everything, is re-energizing for the challenge. Speaking about the same, stated (via Guardian):

“It’s a new challenge for him, which I don’t think you can underestimate. I’ve never seen him just as happy and as energetic as I have seen him around the nets the last couple of days.

“Seeing someone who has basically achieved everything in the game get really excited for a new challenge, you have got to entertain that. You can see already his mind whirring about how he’s going to maybe go about a little bit differently … it’s like re-energising.”

AUS vs WI: We want to give it a good crack for not only Steve Smith but others too – Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins further stated that they aren’t allowing Steve Smith to open just to see how he goes but they are keen to give them a good crack. He added that along with batter, all-rounder Cameron Green will be given a long run so that he can make that spot his permanent. He added:

“The first conversation is always what’s the batting group and order that you think is going to give you the best chance of winning and scoring the most runs. And obviously, the individual is really important within that, especially someone like Steve who is going to be one of the highest scorers wherever he bats basically.”

“Our intention isn’t just to give you some Tests to see how it goes. We want to make sure it’s a shift that’s pretty much permanent and we want to give it a good crack for not only Steve but with (Cameron) Green and the rest of the order.”

The first Test between Australia and West Indies will be played at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday (17th January). All the eyes will be on Steve Smith as to how he will tackle the challenge of opening the innings.