Steve Smith’s return to No. 4 pushed by another Australian captain and his teammate

Former Australian captain Aaron Finch has strongly recommended that Steve Smith be reinstated to his previous position at No. 4 in the batting order.

Steve Smith, who moved up the order to open after David Warner's retirement earlier this year, has struggled to make a significant impact in this new role.

Despite a praiseworthy fifty in the second Test against the West Indies at The Gabba, Steve Smith’s performances as an opener have been inconsistent for an Australian cricket team.

His struggles were particularly evident during Australia’s tour of New Zealand, where the moving new ball posed a considerable challenge to him.

Aaron Finch calls for Steve Smith’s reinstatement to middle order

This has fueled ongoing debates about whether the experiment of positioning Steve Smith at the top of the order should be reconsidered.

Former Australian players, including Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer, as well as Smith’s current opening partner, Usman Khawaja, have also expressed concerns about the decision to shift the former captain’s batting position.

Now, Finch has also echoed these sentiments, suggesting that Steve Smith’s expertise and career average, which nears 60, would be better utilized back in the middle order in Test cricket.

The reason behind moving Smith to the top of the order was initially to accommodate Cameron Green in the playing XI, as the team sought to utilize his all-round capabilities.

While the intention was to balance the team, Finch and others believe that the benefits of Smith’s exceptional performance at No. 4 overshadow the current strategy followed by the Australian team management.

Steve Smith’s proven track record to anchor the innings effectively and Finch feels it is time for the right-hander to go back to his original position ahead of the five-match Test series against India.

Finch proposes shake-up in Australia’s Test batting line-up

Finch said on 7News: “(Smith's opening) did make a bit of sense when you’re trying to find the best spot for Cameron Green in the side when everybody’s been quite open about the fact that they want to push him in the side no matter what it takes.”

The commentator further explained: “I can see where the move came from, Steve putting his hand up and saying, ‘You know what, maybe it is time for a new challenge,’ and he proved himself a good opener, no doubt about that. But, I mean, when you’ve averaged near 60 over your career, I think it’s time to head back in that direction, in my opinion.”

Finch suggested that Travis Head could be promoted to the top of the order while Alex Carey can fit into the explosive batter’s position in Australia’s XI in Test cricket.

He signed off by saying, “All around the world, he’s probably proved himself to be an outstanding wicketkeeper, and then the runs are really important, especially against a team like India."

"Their bowling attack is so strong that you can’t allow them to dictate terms to you because they’re so consistent. They’re so accurate. So, the way that he plays and puts the pressure back on oppositions will be a really crucial role at No. 7 because there will be early wickets.”