In the Test match against the West Indies, Australia will open with Steve Smith in place of David Warner. Selector George Bailey said on Wednesday that Steve Smith will replace David Warner as Australia’s opening batsman, opening with Usman Khawaja, ahead of a two-match series against the West Indies later this month.
“There were plenty within the team who were pretty keen to go on record and say that they weren’t keen to do it,” Bailey told the press.
Thus, it was encouraging that Steve had expressed his desire for it and that it was something the coaches and I had been discussing informally as a selection panel.
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“It’s selfless that someone who has had so much success in one position or a couple of positions in the middle order is open and willing and hungry to have a crack at something new and something different.” Smith, 34, bats at number four in the batting order and climbs up the order.
Green will participate in Wednesday’s first Test matchup between the West Indies and Cricket Australia. Green would bat at number four, according to Bailey.
“The way the rest of that batting order is functioning left us feeling we have someone who we think is pretty talented who potentially was going to find it hard to get any Test cricket in the next 12 months or so,” he stated.Cameron Bancroft, the top run scorer in the Sheffield Shield, is not included in the squad; Warner has suggested Matt Renshaw as a possible successor.
The team that defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the third and final Test to win the series 3-0 last week has not changed, with the exception of the addition of Renshaw in lieu of Warner.
