Australian chief selector George Bailey has confirmed that veteran Australia batter Steve Smith will open the batting in the first Test against West Indies in Adelaide. The usual No. 4 batter’s promotion ends the massive confusion for the Aussies in their search to replace David Warner, who retired from Tests recently. However, Smith will open with Usman Khawaja, with all-rounder Cameron Green now slated to bat at No. 4 as well.

“Tongue in cheek I could say everything’s an experiment,” Bailey said when he was asked if it was an experiment. “That’s been part of the discussions with Steve, I believe he’s keen for this to be a significant chapter of his career. We don’t look too far ahead… (but) for all intents and purposes this is where Steve wants to stay.”

However, George Bailey further added that the challenge of opening the batting in Test cricket was an ‘itch that Smith would like to scratch’. Meanwhile, one of the best of his generation, Steve Smith has never opened in Tests. The closest he has come is No. 3, where he has 1,744 runs in 29 innings which came at an average of 67.08.

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“It’s selfless that someone who has had so much success in one position or a couple of positions in the middle order is open and willing and hungry to have a crack at something new and something different,” he said.

Meanwhile, another name that came for the opening spot was Cameron Bancroft, who was caught in the ball-tampering controversy in 2018. 

“Categorically no (issue between players and Bancroft). And I’ve shared this with Cameron on a number of occasions. It’s never been discussed, from the panel’s perspective, it’s purely a cricketing decision. There’s not a member of the team who would have an issue with Cam playing. We certainly don’t have an issue with it. I think a lot of people forget the fact that Cam’s actually played Test cricket since returning from the ban. It was a long time ago. We’ve all moved well past that. I’d be disappointed if people were looking to that as a reason… that’s not the case. Never has been and never will be,” Bailey added.

The two-match Test series between Australia and West Indies will begin on January 17.