Opinion
If the IPL has taught us anything meaningful over the years, it’s that you must stay ahead of the competition in T20 cricket, otherwise you’ll get left behind.
In that spirit I believe Australia needs to be courageous and consider dropping Steve Smith out of their first-choice line-up completely in this home World Cup. It’s not just Smith’s strike rate that’s a problem at the moment. The issue stems from something else.
With the tournament set to be Aaron Finch’s swansong, and him guaranteed a batting spot in the side right up to the final (hopefully), Australia has to find a way to use their ageing skipper effectively. That involves moving him out of the opening position and placing him in the middle order, in a traditional anchor role, the position that Smith currently occupies.
I know Finch has expressed a desire to open the batting again, but his recent form against fast swing bowling (especially versus left-arm quicks) has been really patchy. He’s proven he can bounce back from these issues in the past, but his front pad is a magnet for inswingers at the moment.
And if he doesn’t get out LBW, he’ll be caught behind from the ball that seams away from him with pace and bounce. His reactions aren’t getting any quicker (and he’s never been exactly Kostya Tszyu on his feet anyway), so moving him down the order will give him some protection.
Finch to play a more traditional role
In men’s international T20 cricket these days, each side only has space for one traditional batter. By traditional, I mean someone who can steady the ship if your team is two wickets down for not many runs, or who can nurdle singles to feed a more positive batter the strike, if care is still required. Otherwise, T20 international cricket is just full throttle batting these days basically.
That’s certainly the case if you are playing on a normal pitch, anyway. Obviously, the situation may change if you are presented with a batting minefield at the toss, and this could be a situation in this tournament where Smith slides into the team last minute.
(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
For that reason, and his on-field leadership skills, Smith should probably stay in the squad for the World Cup as a back-up. But if he’s going to struggle with the idea of running the drinks for the whole tournament, then just set him free and let him return to Sheffield Shield cricket.
His Test summer will thank him for it, as will his roommate, presumably.
Other opening options available
As to who opens the batting with David Warner in place of Aaron Finch, I think there are good options at hand. Josh Inglis is in the squad already. He’s never going to get better if you don’t play him at the top level (just look at Josh Philippe). Marcus Stoinis is also an option, as he benefits from more time to build an innings, or the selectors could even consider Cameron Green.
Despite the tournament being just a few days away, Australia can still make changes to their T20 squad without any penalty. The ICC gives Super 12 nations (of which Australia is one) the chance to change their squads until October 15th, without providing a reason, so Green could still come in.
It’s important to note though that there are a few caveats to this Smith demotion plan. I’m suggesting it due to the current balance of the team, and the necessity of accommodating Finch at all costs.
It may be that in two years’ time, at the next World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, the team balance is completely different. We know Steve Smith is creative, and competitive, so he could easily reinvent his T20 game by then anyway.
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