Steve Smith will return to the middle order of Australia’s Test team this summer in a move that could open the door for Cam Bancroft’s return, national selection chair George Bailey has confirmed.
The former Test captain has told selectors he does not want to open the batting anymore, after doing it four times last summer, and Cam Green’s back injury will mean he can slide back down to No.4.
The short-lived experiment was part of a move to bring Green back into the team last summer.
In a press conference on Monday, Bailey strongly suggested they will pick a specialist batter — likely an opener — for the five-Test Border Gavaskar Trophy series against India.
“Pat, Andrew (McDonald) and Steven Smith have been having ongoing discussions, separate to the untimely injury to Cameron, anyway and I think Steve had expressed a desire to move back down from that opening position,” he said.
“Pat and Andrew have confirmed that he will be dropping back down the order for the summer.
“Clearly we will have a No.4 spot to fill and an opening spot to fill.”
It means they will back in the big three quicks of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, plus Nathan Lyon and Mitch Marsh, to carry the bowling loads in the crucial series.
Bailey said it was a “luxury” having an all-rounder in the side, despite concerns the ageing attack could be stretched across five matches.
“Even looking at the three quicks that we generally play in Test cricket they have played a lot of Test cricket together where they haven’t had an all-rounder as well,” he said.
“The role that Cam and Mitch have played is that they’ve been able to hold down a spot purely on the back of their bating and that’s still fundamentally what’s most important in that top six.
“Again this summer we will be prepared that if we do need to make some adjustments throughout the summer (to the fast-bowlers) we will be ready to go.”
It was confirmed on Monday morning Green will be sent for surgery on his back that will rule him out of all cricket for around six months.
And Bancroft was named alongside fellow Test hopefuls Marcus Harris and Sam Konstas for a two-match Australia A series against India A starting later this month.
Bailey said Bancroft’s there was “no harm done” to Bancroft’s hopes by a rare pair during this week’s Sheffield Shield match with Queensland and confirmed they had spoken post-match.
The selection chair also said Bulls opener Matt Renshaw missing selection in that team does not mean he is out of the race and also floated Nic Maddinson, Peter Handscomb as players they are watching closely.
More to come
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