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Even though Steven Smith is “pretty keen” to
be the opening man, Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins has made it clear that he
is opposed to a batting-order shift to make room for David Warner’s replacement
in the Test team. This puts Cameron Green in prime position to take David
Warner’s spot.
Although Cummins is not a selector, he has had a few
casual discussions about the prospects at the top of the order. Smith became
the first current player to declare his desire to advance and take Warner’s
spot on Friday, but it seems he still has a lot of convincing to do if that’s
going to happen.
“I’m pretty happy with [Smith’s] output at No.
4,” Cummins said. “Obviously Marnus [Labuschagne], Smudge [Smith],
Trav [Head] and [Mitchell] Marsh have been pretty impressive at Nos. 3, 4, 5
and 6. So first instinct isn’t probably to disrupt that.”
Warner’s Test career came to an end at the SCG on
Saturday, and the selectors can now formally designate their replacement. They
are scheduled to meet on Monday, and on Tuesday, the team may be revealed for
the opening Test match in Adelaide against the West Indies.
Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, and Marnus Labuschagne
have all expressed a desire to stay in their middle-order places. The three
specialist openers in the mix are Matt Renshaw, Marcus Harris, and Cameron
Bancroft, but it is hoped that Green will return to the Test team as soon as
possible.
“It’s obviously going to be really hard to
replicate Davey and what he’s brought to it,” Cummins said. “I think
you look for who is best placed to score runs, really. But I think, in Test
cricket, there are some things that remain true – and that is you’ve got to be
putting the pressure on the opposition. You’ve got to be ticking over the
scoreboard. Not always – but most of the time – you’ve got to keep the
scoreboard moving along.
“There are considerations, but realistically, if
anyone is scoring runs in Shield cricket, it’s probably a good sign they can do
it at the next level [too].”