Next Aussie openers.

[Donny]

"Andrew McDonald has indicated he doesn't want Steve Smith moved from No.4, with Cameron Green's chances of replacing David Warner as Test opener growing by the day.

Australia's selectors will finally answer the biggest question of the summer this week, with a squad for the first Test against West Indies in Adelaide to be named as early as Tuesday.

As many as eight players have been mooted as options to open in place of Warner, including shifting any of Australia's incumbent batsmen to the top.

Smith last week became the first of the current group to say publicly he wanted to move to the top of the order, eyeing off the new challenge of opening the batting late in his career."

CA.

[K]

FTB Smith wants to open.

Prolly Cummins and Lyon could open against the 3rd XI side the WIs are sending...

But if FTB opens against India, Bumrah and Shami will destroy him. Even on the very flat Oz decks with the Kookaburra balls that don't swing.

[Pies4shaw]

[stui magpie]

Smith wants to do it, I'd let him and play Green at 4. If it doesn't work in the 2 tests against the Windies, swap them.

[Donny]

Yep. Looks like that's the way the selectors see it, too, Stui.

[K]

Before the 1st Test v. WI, Mark Taylor claimed opening is just a mindset thing.

Sheesh... If that's all there is to it, then mebbe Cummins can open... His mindset right now is pretty good.

Technique matters, Tubby. Just look at Smith's dismissal. Again, all squared up and nicking off. Defective technique. Technique still matters for an opener. Even with all the flat pitches and balls that don't swing. (Beefy: "I hate Kookaburra balls.")

[Donny]

"After a lean start as David Warner's replacement up top with Usman Khawaja, the 34-year-old almost hauled Australia over the line to avoid the monumental eight-run upset by West Indies at the Gabba.

Smith, who has scored 27 of his 32 Test centuries at No.3 or No.4, insists he didn't overthink his approach to opening.

After scores of 12, 11 not out and six, the star batter belted an unbeaten 91 in Australia's second innings on Sunday and feels "comfortable" as an opener.

"There was a lot of commentary around I'd failed in two or three innings – I had a not out and two low scores," Smith said at the MCG on Wednesday.

"Now I'm averaging 60 as an opener.

"It was just another position; I've battled against the new ball numerous times, coming in early.

"I've enjoyed the first couple of weeks of it ... if they see fit to move me back down, I'll do whatever the team needs.""

CA.

[K]

Michael Vaughan on Smith:

“You just look at his head position here, it was going over to the off side. He gets LBW because of that movement.”


Mark Waugh on Smith:

“That premeditated movement before the ball is bowled is way too far to the off side. All his weight is falling that side.

“Your footwork’s all over the shop because your weight is going too far to the off side. He needs to have a look at that, because he’s getting into a position where he can’t adjust to the line of the ball.

“He’s losing all relevance to where his stumps are. He’s playing at balls outside off stump, and he’s nicked a few this summer that he doesn’t have to play at, that sixth stump line. He’s got to get a better idea of where his stumps are.”

[Pies4shaw]

[K]

Media say Steve Smith is prolly done re. Slogathon WC selection after his twin failures against NZ.

But the bigger worry for fanboys is the way the kiwis got him out. He couldn't defend against the new white ball. His defective technique was destroyed!! So how can he defend in Test cricket in fair conditions against good oppo?

In the 2nd T20, Lochie Ferguson trapped Smith plumb LBW. Yes, LBW!! Yet again!! The kiwi commentator reckoned Lochie did him for pace.

In the 3rd T20, Adam Milne destroyed him with pace and bounce. The ball was on a good line and length outside off. He couldn't cope with the bounce. His feet were glued to the spot. His upper body lurched backwards. All he could do was nick it to be caught behind.

[K]

Yup, as I said, how can FTB Smith defend opening in Test cricket in fair conditions when his defective technique is destroyed even in Slogathons?

Watch his dismissals in the 1st Test against NZ.

1st innings: as the kiwi commentator said, FTB Smith was "caught on the crease", "played the hands", and all he could do was nick Henry to the keeper.

And FTB Smith was very, very lucky to last till then. In the 2nd over of the match, Henry destroyed his defective technique twice, but both edges went to the boundary.

2nd innings: Wowee... Playing Southee on to his stumps for a 3-ball duck. Both FTB Smith's feet were outside off stump as he chopped on. Commentators reckon it's his desperate attempt to avoid plumb LBW again by getting outside the line. But he's just gonna get bowled behind his legs by straight balls!! And nick balls way outside off stump a real opener would just leave!!

[Pies4shaw]

SPD BradSmith is the best number 4 (and the greatest all-round player) since Bradman. It's a travesty to play him as an opener. It opens up the middle order because there's a number of players in it with virtually no technique - and, at the same time, you can't really afford to expose the greatest batsman of the last 75 years to the vagaries of opening.

[K]

Even dopey media now know Smith is not a Test opener's bootlaces (as Leigh Matthews would say).

When you get out the same way over and over and over again, it means you have a defective technique. To sane folks, that was obvious years ago.

A. Ramsey:

'Of potentially greater concern is the similarity in most of those dismissals, either caught behind the wicket as he shuffled across his stumps or ... getting trapped in front when the new ball deviates off the seam.'

(cricket.com.au)

D. Brettig:

'The last of Smith's dismissals .. was similar to several others - he has found it difficult to cover movement back into him when the ball is brand new.'

(The Age)

M. Conn:

'The opening experiment continues to come undone, with the Steve Smith shuffle across the crease leaving him vulnerable to the new ball ducking back and hitting him on the pads in front of the stumps.'

(SMH)


A month ago, Mark Waugh said: 'He’s got to get a better idea of where his stumps are.' But sadly for him, Smith hasn't. He has no clue where any of his stumps are. You can see that when he reviews a plumb LBW and ball tracking shows it hitting middle stump. That's what happened last time.

[K]

Is McDonald secretly trolling Smith?

He talked about Smith "walking away here with 51 runs under his belt". Huh? 51 runs mebbe would be okay to get "under your belt" if it came in one innings. But that was Smith's total for an entire Test series!! Telling the media that only encouraged them to report Smith's series average! Which they did!!

Smith averaged a pathetic 12.75 for the series, ahead of only Starc's 12.25.