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Steve Smith has hit back at claims from George Bailey with the veteran batter denying that he demanded a return to the No.4 Test spot, while acknowledging it’s his preferred slot in the Australian line-up.
The star batter was dismissed for three on Monday in his first and probably only Sheffield Shield hit-out ahead of the Test series against India.
Young gun NSW teammate Sam Konstas also failed in the Blues’ first innings at the MCG, as Victoria built a lead of 226 with six wickets left in their second innings on day two.
With Cameron Green also injured, the Australian Test top order will be shuffled this summer and it’s been confirmed the experiment of Smith as opener is over.
But Smith said the narrative he’d asked for the return to his usual spot in the order was wrong.
Last week, selector George Bailey said Smith had “expressed a desire” to move down the order.
“I got asked where I’d prefer to bat and I said ‘four’. I also said I’m happy batting wherever, I’m not really too fussed,” Smith said.
“I saw a few things last week, saying I’d requested to bat at four – that wasn’t the case. I said ‘I’m happy to bat wherever you’d like me to bat’, but four would be my ideal position.”
Smith did indeed make public statements along those lines, telling Fox Cricket in August: “I’m comfortable batting wherever.
“We’ll see what that looks like, I suppose, whether they want me to continue (opening the batting) or go back to three or four. We’ll wait and see.
“I’m pretty easy batting anywhere. We’ll just see what stacks up and what the brain trust wants.”
Steve Smith. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
He averaged just 28.5 as an opener last summer, well down on his career returns in the middle order of 67.07 at first drop, 61.5 at No.4 and 57.18 at No.5.
Smith added teammates Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne made it clear they’d prefer him to bat behind them.
“They hated me up top … so that was a big part of it,” he said.
“It was good fun, having a crack at something new. I still feel like I could do a job there, for sure … (but) I’ve done pretty well at four for a number of years now.
“They call it security behind them – I don’t know, ask them about it. Honestly, I’m not that fussed.
“They didn’t like it at all … I can understand that.”
Sam Konstas at Melbourne Cricket Ground. (Photo by Josh Chadwick/Getty Images)
Konstas is among several top-order candidates who have failed over the last two days to press their claims ahead of the first Test.
Smith rates the 19-year-old, calling him a “bright prospect”, and said he was unlucky to be given out lbw off the bowling of Scott Boland for two.
“He got a bit unlucky there, I reckon. It looked like it might have just been darting down leg a little bit,” Smith said.
Smith added he had been feeling good before he was caught behind down the leg side off Fergus O’Neill.
“I actually felt pretty good out there, for the three that I scored, strangely enough,” he said with a grin.
Smith and Konstas will definitely have another knock in the match, with 15 wickets falling on day two.
Victoria are 4-90 in their second innings, after NSW could only make 136. O’Neill took 4-29 and Will Sutherland snared 3-24, while Josh Philippe made an unbeaten 45.
While opener Nic Maddinson only managed 19, Smith said he was another candidate for the Australian top order.
Test paceman Mitch Starc started the damage early in the Victorian second innings by bowling Ashley Chandrasinghe for a second-ball duck.
Victoria’s Test hopeful Marcus Harris only made 16 after the opener scored 26 in the first innings.
Smith said Starc bowled some “nasty balls” in the Victorian second innings, but noted the wicket appeared to be flattening out late on day two and hopes for a run chase of less than 300.
Earlier on Monday, NSW paceman Sean Abbott finished with 5-62 as Victoria made 272 in their first innings.
with AAP