Usman Khawaja, Australian opener, gave his take on Steve Smith’s batting position in the Test lineup. After the retirement of David Warner, Smith was sent to the top of the order, and that move has been a topic of debate given how Smith has performed as an opener. This turn of events in the batting order does raise a question or two about what is going to happen later this year in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Khawaja Feels Smith Should Bat At No.4
The tweak has enabled Australia to accommodate their six best batsmen with Cameron Green, now filling Smith’s old No. 4 slot. While Smith has been flexible enough to fit into various slots, Khawaja feels he needs to return to his old position at No. 4.
“He’ll just probably never say it. So I’ll say it for him. Opening is a very important spot … I still think we have the best Test player of my era in the side, in Steve Smith, and his best spot has been number four. I feel like that’s his best spot. I feel like the best balance for our team is Labuschagne three, Smith four,” Khawaja said as quoted by Fox Cricket.
Australia’s Struggle To Score Runs After Warner’s Retirement
Khawaja also spoke to how far away Australia’s scoring has fallen since the change. In eight innings since Warner’s retirement, Australia has only once bettered 300 runs.
“For me, the number one consideration is ‘what’s best for the team?’. What order scores us the most runs? And if you look at how many runs we scored with Davey Warner in the team and Smudge batting at four, we scored a lot of runs. With Smudge opening, we’ve still won games, but I don’t think we’ve scored as many runs as we could’ve,” Khawaja added.
India Vs Australia In Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Steve Smith’s Performance
The opener has had an underwhelming tournament so far, with just one half-century in eight innings at an average of 28.50 as compared to an imposing average of 61.51 whenever he bats at No. 4. The Border-Gavaskar series between India and Australia gets underway from November 22 with the first Test at Perth. While the second Test begins at Adelaide Oval from December 6-10, under the lights, it will be an exciting day-night affair. The venue then shifts to Brisbane’s The Gabba for the third Test from December 14 to 18.
Following that, the action will shift to Brisbane to host the third test from December 14 to 18 at The Gabba. Then, the series reaches the penultimate stage with the traditional Boxing Day Test extending from December 26 to 30 at Melbourne’s historic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The final Test will be held from January 3 to 7, but this time at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which promises a mouthwatering finale to what should be an excellent series.
