Opener bid was no joke: Smith
Steve Smith says Australian selectors thought he was joking when he first canvassed the idea of replacing David Warner as Test opener.
Smith said on Sunday that he had floated the idea as early as during last year’s Ashes tour but that it wasn’t until the start of this year that the idea of him moving alongside Usman Khawaja started to grow serious legs.
Asked if he thought the selectors had taken him seriously when he raised the prospect of an elevation to the top of the order, Smith said: “Not really.”
“I’ve been pushing it for a few weeks, even before Perth I think, and I might have been floated in England just randomly and said ‘I’ll get up top and I’m happy to play up top’.
“In Perth, I kind of said ‘You know after Davey’s done I’m actually keen to get up there’.
“I don’t think they sort of took me seriously until I got to Sydney and I was like ‘I’m actually being genuine here. I’d be keen to get up top and face the new ball’. And they were like, ‘All right, well, we’ll take that under advisement and see how it all looks’.
“You know, I think they are very keen to get Cameron (Green) in the side as well, I think, and sort of play our best six batters. For me, it didn’t sort of sit right having him come in and bat up top.
“I’ve played for a long time and I’m an experienced player and I think it’s something that I should have done.”
While Smith said the captaincy had contributed to him dropping down the order, filling in for Pat Cummins on occasion would not require him to revert to No.4.