Although he will be remembered as one of the greatest Test batters of all time, Steven Smith has proven time and again that he has the chops to be a real asset for Australia in the white ball formats if he is called upon. While he has been on the outs in terms of the T20I squad and isn’t travelling to the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, his monster season in the Big Bash League has earned him some attention.
Playing in just six games after returning from the Ashes, Smith racked up 299 runs at a phenomenal strike-rate of 167, including a century, as his efforts helped take the Sydney Sixers to the final. Although they lost to the champion Perth Scorchers, Smith’s form was devastating – for players with at least 250 runs in the tournament, only Finn Allen struck at a higher rate, and only David Warner averaged more than his 59.80.
As a result, Smith is suddenly in the discussion for a potential call-up should any injury strike Australia during the World Cup, as a player with tons of experience playing in the subcontinent. Ricky Ponting backed him to take over in the top order should Mitch Marsh’s team have any use for him.
‘Next cab off the rank’
“His numbers stack up better than anybody else's. But when you've been out and the side's had some success, and Travis Head and Mitch Marsh are the incumbents, it's hard to push one of those two guys out of an opening slot,” Ponting said to The Western Australian.
{{/usCountry}}“His numbers stack up better than anybody else's. But when you've been out and the side's had some success, and Travis Head and Mitch Marsh are the incumbents, it's hard to push one of those two guys out of an opening slot,” Ponting said to The Western Australian.
{{/usCountry}}“And poor Steve has probably been pigeonholed as an opening batsman only in the T20 game, which probably has held him back a little bit in the last few years as far as selection is concerned. But he's only one little injury away. He's the next cab off the rank and he's ready to go,” he explained, backing his countryman to be raring and ready to go whenever he is needed.
Smith hasn’t represented Australia in a T20I since February 2024, with the team turning towards a more power-oriented approach in the last two years. With Marsh and Head opening the batting, they possess arguably the best opening duo in the tournament, while Tim David’s promotion up the order indicates that six-hitting is the name of the game for the Aussies now.
While Smith has shown himself capable of that style of play in the Big Bash, the World Cup could be a jump – but for the new and improved version of himself, he might very well be who the Australian team turn to in crisis.