Will Steve Smith’s opening gambit pay off? | Cricket

Why will anybody move away from batting at No. 4 after amassing 5,966 runs in 67 Tests at an average of 61.5 at that position? Like many things about Steve Smith’s sui generis batting technique and yet stupendous Test record, this is another seemingly unfathomable aspect that underlines his inclination to take on challenges.

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This isn’t the first time that Smith is tinkering with his batting position. From 2015 to 2017, Smith was Australia’s designated No. 3, where his numbers were even better – 1744 runs in 17 Tests at an average of 67.07, only to subsequently move to No. 4. But while his decision to drop down then was influenced by the additional responsibility of captaincy, there was no such compulsion at this juncture.

David Warner’s retirement at the end of the Pakistan series did create a vacancy at the top, but Australia’s selectors wouldn’t have been hard-pressed to rope in a like-for-like replacement given that Matt Renshaw, Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris are all waiting for another crack. But Smith’s insistence on taking this opportunity to open meant that they had to relent to the view of their best and most experienced batter.

As Smith has revealed in various media interactions since his new role as an opener was confirmed, he had been pushing for it for quite some time.

“I’ve kind of been pushing it for a few weeks, even before Perth (first Test against Pakistan) I think, and I might have floated it in England just randomly and said, ‘I’ll get up top and I’m happy to play up top’,” he was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. “I don’t think they sort of took me seriously until I got to Sydney and I was like ‘I’m actually being genuine here. I’d be keen to get up top and face the new ball.’ And they were like, ‘all right, well, we’ll take that under advisement and see how it all looks.’”

Smith’s conviction doesn’t mean that the move is without risk. He’s 34, and despite an unparalleled record after 105 Tests, an average of 42.22 in 13 Tests in 2023 does suggest that he may be prone to a gradual decline with time just like everybody else. While there are a few prominent examples of middle-order batters transforming into successful Test openers – Virender Sehwag instantly springs to mind – it’s not easy to make the transition in your mid-30s.

But Smith isn’t approaching this latest challenge with even a hint of pessimism. He has batted after all at every position from No. 3 to No. 9 and he will hope that the demands of opening the batting unlock another successful chapter in a vastly successful career. “I don’t want to think negative thoughts at all,” Smith said. “I don’t like thinking that way.”

Being the batting nerd that he is, Smith is likely to have thought this through. One, he doesn’t like waiting for his turn to bat. Two, though the new ball is bound to move around more and tease his outside edge, it may also present scoring opportunities that may not be available with a softer and older ball.

It’s pertinent to note that his most rewarding year in Test cricket was 2015 when he amassed 1474 runs in 13 Tests at a strike rate of 62.08. Last year, his strike rate fell to 46.89, an indication that teams were able to tie him down by using leg-side fields and bowling a straighter line. India did that to great effect when they won in Australia in 2020/21, not allowing Smith to rack up the volume of runs that he’s accustomed to.

“Over the last few years, I’ve come in after quite a lot of runs, the ball’s a bit softer. [They] have a cover in and maybe four on the legside, guys are bowling straight and able to control the scoreboard a little bit more. That’s probably kept me quieter and made me face a lot more balls to score runs,” Smith reasoned.

Only time will tell how this pans out. But if anybody can make a success of this drastic switch at this late stage in their career, it’s perhaps someone with the distinction of having the highest batting average after playing 100 or more Tests.