NEW DELHI: Australia’s premier batsman, Steve Smith, has openly acknowledged the challenges he faces as an opener in Test cricket but remains resolute in his determination to overcome them after enduring a rough patch since assuming the role.
Smith, who took on the opening position following David Warner‘s retirement from Tests, has encountered difficulties in the transition, deviating from Australia’s longstanding practice of fielding specialist openers such as Cameron Bancroft, Matthew Renshaw, and Marcus Harris.
“I’m not reading too much into it. You know, I feel like I’ve still been batting well,” Smith told PTI in an exclusive interaction, maintaining optimism about his capacity to adapt despite technical adjustments required.
Reflecting on his previous successes primarily at No. 4 and 5 in the batting order, Smith highlighted the formidable challenges posed by the demanding conditions faced as an opener.
“(You) can’t sort of underplay how difficult the wickets have been. A lot of the top orders that we’ve played against haven’t scored a great deal of runs, and it hasn’t been until the 30-40 overs-mark that we’ve seen the wickets get a little bit better and the lower order score some runs,” he remarked regarding the challenging pitch conditions.
Former captain Tim Paine has expressed reservations about persisting with Smith in the opening role, advocating for a return to his customary No. 4 slot, especially in light of the forthcoming series against India.
However, Smith remains non-committal about his future role, expressing anticipation for the intense rivalry with India in the upcoming five-Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“We really enjoy playing against each other. There’s that sort of rivalry there now and it’s going to be five Test matches for the first time, which is exciting. I’m looking forward to this summer; it is going to be a great contest,” he added, expressing his excitement for the upcoming series against India.
(With inputs from PTI)
Smith, who took on the opening position following David Warner‘s retirement from Tests, has encountered difficulties in the transition, deviating from Australia’s longstanding practice of fielding specialist openers such as Cameron Bancroft, Matthew Renshaw, and Marcus Harris.
“I’m not reading too much into it. You know, I feel like I’ve still been batting well,” Smith told PTI in an exclusive interaction, maintaining optimism about his capacity to adapt despite technical adjustments required.
Reflecting on his previous successes primarily at No. 4 and 5 in the batting order, Smith highlighted the formidable challenges posed by the demanding conditions faced as an opener.
“(You) can’t sort of underplay how difficult the wickets have been. A lot of the top orders that we’ve played against haven’t scored a great deal of runs, and it hasn’t been until the 30-40 overs-mark that we’ve seen the wickets get a little bit better and the lower order score some runs,” he remarked regarding the challenging pitch conditions.
Former captain Tim Paine has expressed reservations about persisting with Smith in the opening role, advocating for a return to his customary No. 4 slot, especially in light of the forthcoming series against India.
However, Smith remains non-committal about his future role, expressing anticipation for the intense rivalry with India in the upcoming five-Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“We really enjoy playing against each other. There’s that sort of rivalry there now and it’s going to be five Test matches for the first time, which is exciting. I’m looking forward to this summer; it is going to be a great contest,” he added, expressing his excitement for the upcoming series against India.
(With inputs from PTI)
