Australia's star batter, Steve Smith, stepped into the opening slot left vacant by David Warner’s retirement earlier this year, having played the role across four Test matches so far. While his performance at the position has been mixed, with an average of 28.5 in the new role, Smith has shown glimpses of his capability, notably with a resilient unbeaten 91 in the second Test against the West Indies in Brisbane.
Despite the all-important series against India coming up late this year, Smith remains unfazed by his batting position, focusing instead on contributing to the team wherever he is needed. Smith stated that he is adaptable to any spot that the team management wants him to play.
“You’ll have to ask the men in charge but I’m not fussed either way,” Smith was quoted as saying by Code Sports.
Smith, however, did suggest that he hadn’t maximised his output in the position yet, with just one half-century from six innings.
“Some challenging conditions with the new ball, in particular. So I would have liked to score a few more runs," Smith added.
“That’s the game sometimes but I played pretty well in the second innings at the Gabba where we couldn’t get over the line, unfortunately. It’s just a position to me so it doesn’t really faze me too much.”
Smith to return to IPL?
The Australian batter has faced new challenges in the T20 format recently. At 35, Smith found himself excluded from Australia’s squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, a decision that highlighted his limited opportunities in the shortest format.
{{/usCountry}}The Australian batter has faced new challenges in the T20 format recently. At 35, Smith found himself excluded from Australia’s squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, a decision that highlighted his limited opportunities in the shortest format.
{{/usCountry}}Since the 2022 edition of the tournament, Smith has featured in just four T20Is.
"I don’t know about international T20 stuff. You’ll have to ask the selectors there," Smith noted.
“I was disappointed not to be in the World Cup but that’s the way things go. They wanted all the big hitters.”
On the back of this solid run, the Aussie star was positive about his IPL prospects.
“I’d love to be part of the IPL again, for sure. I’ll be putting my name in the hat so just have to keep scoring runs. You never know, we’ll see what happens.”