The post-David Warner era can be a tough time for Australia with the legendary opener's shoes being very hard to fill. Warner, who hung his boots from Test cricket, is Australia's highest run-getter at the opening slot. With Aussies thinking of a new partner for Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith's keenness to open if needed seems to have thrown the weight behind him, especially with the success he has had in the format.
During Warner's Farwell Test, Smith recently claimed that he is happy to open the innings after Warner. "I'm actually happy to go up the top. I'm pretty keen if that's what they want to do. I'm sure the selectors and Ron [Andrew McDonald] and Patty [Cummins] will have a chat after this game but yeah, I'm certainly interested for sure," Smith said during the Sydney Test against Pakistan.
Notably, Australia's head coach Andrew McDonald has given his say on Smith's keenness. "(Steve) had some strong thoughts, he's made those public. So we'll consider all options. It's nice to have him putting his hand up. I think there were a few others that weren't putting their hand up. But Steve at No.3 or No.4 is pretty appetising also. You've got to make sure you're not removing the strengths of the team in the search to fill a gap also. So there's a balance within that," McDonald said in a video posted by cricket.com.au.
Pat Cummins happy with Smith at No.4
Notably, skipper Pat Cummins is happy with Steve Smith staying in his original batting position of No.4 and not to tweak with the middle-order combination. "I'm pretty happy with (Smith's) output at No. 4. Obviously Marnus (Labuschagne), Smudge (Smith), Trav (Head) and (Mitchell) Marsh have been pretty impressive at Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6. So first instinct isn't probably to disrupt that," Cummins said.
Australia might have to find the answer quickly as they have an upcoming Test series against West Indies starting on January 17. They have one stable option in Usman Khawaja but the other one remains unsolved.
