"I just can’t see how strategically that is going to work for Cricket Australia" - Hayden opposes the idea of Smith opening the batting in Tests
Former Australia opening batter Matthew Hayden does not think that Steve Smith moving up the order will do the team much good. The defending Test champions are in search of a new Test opener following David Warner's retirement, and have several tempting options to choose from.
The selectors have to make a quick decision as Australia have a home series against West Indies scheduled to begin on January 17. The Men in Yellow have been finding ways to integrate Cameron Green into the playing XI along with Mitchell Marsh.
As a result, if Smith is promoted to the top of the order, it allows Green to bat at No. 4, the position he occupies on the domestic circuit in general.
“It’s just not going to happen in my opinion. He’s commanded so much respect in the game that we should all listen to what he has to say, but I equally think that’s not the way the Australian cricket team management will go. It certainly doesn’t sound like the way Pat will go," Hayden told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“I just can’t see how strategically that [Smith opening] is going to work for Cricket Australia. They will need someone more concrete than that. When you look at the success over the last two years of this Test team, it’s been based on a very solid foundation. It’s been such a key structure – that number one to four set in stone has been gold for Cricket Australia," Hayden added.
It is to be noted that Smith has never opened the batting in Test cricket. He has at times walked out to bat early when he was slotted in at No. 3 but has primarily spent the bulk of his career in the middle order.
"I feel like a left-handed opener in Renshaw is that person with age on his side" - Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden feels that Australia should go with a certified opening batter from the domestic circuit as Warner's replacement. The former opening batter named Matt Renshaw as the ideal candidate to open the batting alongside Usman Khawaja instead of Marcus Harris or Cameron Bancroft.
“David Warner has had his say in Marcus Harris and Ricky Ponting has had his say on record with [Cameron] Bancroft. I feel like a left-handed opener in Renshaw is that person with age on his side. “He maybe doesn’t have the performances of Bancroft at first-class cricket but in many ways, I just feel like he has shown what he can potentially do, and he has that longevity," Hayden explained.
“With a banker like Khawaja, given the form, maybe it’s time to look to the future and groom that individual. It’s a gut feel more than anything. Bancroft and Harris are a little older, and you could argue a little wiser but Renshaw gives you that youthful edge, and soon you’re going to have two new openers. I’d prefer to have one of them blooded now," Hayden concluded.
Renshaw has made 14 Test appearances for Australia so far, scoring 645 runs at an average of 29.32. He played in the middle order during the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the subcontinent, which remains his last set of Test appearances.