Test specialists seem to be a dying breed in international cricket, more so if their specialisation is opening the batting. Gone are the days when facing up to fresh fast bowlers and taking the shine off the new ball was considered a sacrosanct job, with only the ones with experience and perceived expertise gathered in domestic and first-class cricket deemed fit for the job.
Now the buzzword is ‘our best six batters’, who should be capable of playing anywhere in the top and middle order. Opening the batting – once considered a hazardous job with only those considered brave, competent, and crazy enough to volunteer for the job – is now just another batting spot.
The elevation of Steve Smith to the top of the order of the Australian Test team could be seen in this light. The wise men who made the decision would have thought through the scenario of putting their best batsman – arguably the greatest Aussie to wield the willow since Don Bradman – in a position that could, notionally at least, put him at more risk than the No.4 spot he has occupied lately. There are scenarios where the openers have to go out just for an over or two to see out the day, a situation in which a middle-order batsman may avail a nightwatchman. There are no nightwatchmen for openers.
These potential decisions are hardly taken in isolation, and just prove the great impact David Warner had on the game. His Test retirement has prompted Australia to juggle the whole batting order. If they wanted a straight swap with a specialist opener who does the job in domestic cricket – though Warner himself was hardly a traditional-style opener – Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris, and Matthew Renshaw were the prime contenders.
All of them have had a taste of Test cricket – playing at least 10 games each – without actually setting the stage on fire. In 38 Tests among themselves, the three have a combined total of one century. All of them average below 30. They have undoubtedly churned out a truckload of runs at the level below, but selection is not a job done solely based on numbers. There’s experience and judgment involved. Moreover, with the top international players hardly turning out in domestic cricket, the performances have to be considered with a pinch of salt.
Another factor to be considered is the fear factor that Warner brought, regardless of whether he got a significant score. None of the three specialist openers take on the game, and as such, opening bowlers have a chance to settle in. Smith has the ability to punish a bad ball, even if it’s the first one he faces. At the end of the day, the question is: who will a bowler be wary of more, someone like Harris, who will feel the pressure of justifying his selection, or an all-time great like Smith?
There was also the Cameron Green factor, a player the Aussie selectors and team management consider too good to be left out of the playing XI. He was an option to be tried at the top of the order, but with him being able to bowl useful medium pace and one for a long-term investment, No.4 was considered a viable spot for him.
There’s precedent
Converting a middle-order batsman into an opener is not a new phenomenon, at least in India. Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma have been major successes at the top despite starting their careers in the middle order. Even VVS Laxman had to open the batting at the start of his career, and it was only when he put his foot down that he was allowed to take up a middle-order slot. All these players were considered too good not to be in the XI, and it was believed, correctly, that their inclusion would only strengthen the team. Sehwag took the place of Shiv Sunder Das, who even though he ticked all the boxes of being a traditional opener, managed ‘only’ two hundreds in 23 Tests and an average under 35 that left him vulnerable. The fact that he didn’t set pulses racing like Sehwag did only hastened the end of his international career.
Smith’s case is different, in that he is closer to the end of his storied career than its beginning. Australia have had a lot of success in recent times, but Smith himself has not lived up to the heady standards of his prime. Rather than meandering through the rest of his career, the legend is looking for a fresh challenge, something that he hasn’t done before in his first-class career. Of late, opposition teams have managed to slow down Smith’s scoring by packing one side of the field and bowling accordingly. Opening the batting will provide a lot of gaps, which a player of his class can exploit if the bowlers stray, as there are likely to be a lot of close catchers first up.
If the move works – and Smith doesn’t develop cold feet if the first few knocks don’t go his way – it could make the Australian Test side even more formidable. Warner’s retirement left a hole at the top of the order, but what better way to fill it than putting a stalwart in there who is motivated to overcome another challenge, one for which he himself volunteered. Who knows, it may add a few years to his career.
The Aussies have one of the best Test bowling attacks in Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon. With Mitchell Marsh and the returning Green, there will be no shortage of bowling options. Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, and Smith himself can provide part-time spin.
The upcoming two Tests against West Indies are not expected to be the toughest of assignments, and Smith can gently get his feet wet. Australia have away Test tours to New Zealand and Sri Lanka in this World Test Championship cycle, as well as a marquee home series against India. If Smith makes it that far and succeeds in his new role, it will add another chapter to the tale of one of the all-time greats.