Former Australian Skipper Slams Steve Smith For Vying For Opening Spot
Steve Smith is all set to open the batting for Australia in red-ball cricket for the first time in his 13-year-long Test career. He will be opening the innings in the first Test against West Indies in Adelaide on Wednesday. The decision to promote Steve Smith as an opener drew mixed reactions and former Australian skipper Kim Hughes expressed profound surprise or ‘shock’ over the move.
Steve Smith has never opened in Test cricket. He recently started opening the innings in T20Is and has played just two matches for Australia as a T20 opener scoring a half-century in one of them. According to Kim Hughes, Cameron Bancroft would have been the appropriate replacement for David Warner to open the innings for Australia.
Kim Hughes suggested that there is a bias for New South Wales players in the Australian team and used some harsh words while criticizing Steven Smith and the team management. “I nearly vomited. I’ve got no doubts in my mind that if Cameron Bancroft played for New South Wales, he’d be in the Test side. He is in his prime,” he told WA Sports.
“Touch this, do this, do that [imitates Smith]… never want to leave when I am given out. He’s like a petulant kid. Smith is struggling at the moment. He’s been an absolute superstar, but as an opener, he is no more opener than me opening the bowling. He needs to stay at No.4, get his mojo back if you like, without all the fluff,” Hughes said.
Steve Smith Showed Interest In Opening The Batting After David Warner Announced His Retirement
Steve Smith said that he was not taken seriously when he expressed his desire to move to the top of the batting order after Warner’s retirement. “In Perth, I said ‘After Davey’s done I’m actually keen to get up there’ and I don’t think they (selectors) took me seriously until I got to Sydney (for the pink Test against Pakistan) and said ‘You know I’m actually being genuine here’,” he said.
Steve Smith has been Australia’s greatest Test batter since the last decade. He is the fourth-highest run-getter for Australia in Tests amassing 9514 runs in 187 innings across 105 Test matches. He averages 58.01 in Tests and has smashed 32 centuries which includes four double centuries. The decision to promote him as an opener was praised by David Warner himself but Kim Hughes believes that selecting Cameron Bancroft would have been better.
Kim Hughes reckons selecting players on their performance in the Sheffield Shield will boost the confidence of other players to perform and score runs as they will feel that they have a chance of making it to the national team if they perform well in the domestic games. However, Steve Smith has been a stalwart in Australian cricket and has never disappointed Australia in any of the decisions that were taken regarding him. He has scored centuries in four different positions in Test cricket and will hopefully add to that tally after being promoted as an opener.
