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'First Instinct Isn't To..'- Cummins Against Smith Replacing Warner As Test Opener

image-lr29g1ysSteve Smith had expressed his desire to open the batting [AP]

With David Warner's Test retirement, an opener's slot is up for the grabs in the Australian Test team, with several candidates being kept under the scanner.

While prolific batter Steve Smith has expressed his keenness to move up the order, coach Andrew McDonald and captain Pat Cummins have shown their inclination towards all-rounder Cameron Green.

Cummins, a crucial voice in Australia's think tank, has stated that he isn't willing to shuffle the middle order and is happy with performances from Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, and Mitchell Marsh. 

As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, the World Cup and WTC 2023-wining captain has accepted that finding a quick-fix opener is unrealistic and replacing someone like Warner will take time.  


'Pretty happy with Smith's output at 4'- Pat Cummins

"I'm pretty happy with [Smith's] output at No. 4. Obviously Marnus [Labuschagne], Smudge [Smith], Trav [Head] and [Mitchell] Marsh have been pretty impressive at Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6. So first instinct isn't probably to disrupt that. It's obviously going to be really hard to replicate Davey and what he's brought to it," Cummins said. 

"I think you look for who is best placed to score runs, really. But I think, in Test cricket, there are some things that remain true - and that is you've got to be putting the pressure on the opposition. You've got to be ticking over the scoreboard. There are considerations, but realistically, if anyone is scoring runs in Shield cricket, it's probably a good sign they can do it at the next level [too]," he added.

Cricket Australia's (CA) immediate concern is finding a suitable replacement for Warner for the upcoming two-match Test series against West Indies, which starts on January 17 in Brisbane. The possible candidates include Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw, who have been scoring heaps of runs in Sheffield Shield cricket over the past few seasons.