Former Australia captain shares his thoughts on changing Steve Smith's position in Test matches

The retirement of David Warner from Test matches after the Test series vs Pakistan has already caused a lot of difficulties for Cricket Australia(CA). The 37-year-old batter leaving the format has made the cricketing world curious whether he will be replaced by a potential replacement or will one of the current middle-order batters fill in the spot. There are a lot of potential candidates for the position including Cameron Bancroft, Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris. There is also the option of moving all-rounders Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh in that position as well who can play the same attacking game Warner is known for in his career.

Another option that came under discussion was Australia star batter Steven Smith who is one of the best batters in the world for the Aussies right now. Smith has mostly played at the number 4 position in his Test career so far and has been really successful scoring over 9500 runs in 105 matches at a tremendous average of 57.99. There is no doubt that Smith has been one of the most consistent batters for Australia known for his unorthodox, but elegant technique which makes it tough for the bowlers to get through him. The big question is if it is necessary to make a change in his batting order when he has been playing the middle order role for a long time.

Ricky Ponting on the debate

Former 3-time World Cup-winning captain and legendary batter Ricky Ponting has also given his thoughts on the batter regarding his position. Ponting was against changing the position of Smith speaking on Channel 7 saying “ I wouldn't like to see him move. All this talk, all they are trying to do is find a spot in the side for Cameron Green. If they are going to do it, it has to be with the least disruption to the batting order as it is. Smith and Labuschagne have been magnificent at three and four - they have been the backbone of Australia's batting for the last three or four years. I wouldn't like to see that disrupted. I think Cameron Bancroft to get that chance."

This is a fair point made by the former skipper on one of the best batters in the world for Australia at the moment. Steve Smith has been one of the backbones for the Australia side at the position he is playing and it might be a bit drastic to suddenly move him to that opening slot where he has never played. It is a very risky decision for any side to mess with the batting order and it seems highly unlikely that Smith will move to that position in place at this time. The CA might also look for a player who will fill that position for the long term and knowing Smith is in his thirties might not make it a great choice for the future as well.