Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith has said Steve Smith is not the right replacement for David Warner as Australia’s next Test opener.

Speaking to cricket betting site Betway, Smith praised Warner’s approach as a Test opener following the latter’s final Test match earlier this month. “Having played against David, he was always at the forefront with setting the tone in the field,” said Smith. “He comes with an immense amount of experience travelling around the world and knowing what it requires to be successful playing in other people’s backwards, which is not easy.

“He was the guy that took the game on and was able to apply pressure onto opposition attacks from the word go. He took a lot of the limelight and, when you lose a player like that, the pressure shifts back to other people. How that impacts the team is always interesting to watch.”

Following Warner’s retirement after 112 matches at the top of the order in Tests, the Australia selectors announced that Smith would make the move up to open in the upcoming series against the West Indies. Smith has never previously opened in his Test career but expressed interest in the new role before Warner’s retirement.

Moving Smith up to open also allows Cameron Green to come back into the Test side to bat at No.4, while Mitchell Marsh can retain his place as the other all-rounder in the team.

Steve Smith’s very happy with Australia’s two changes to the batting order! #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/c8OOk3oVGa

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 14, 2024

However, former South Africa opener Smith warned against the move, citing concerns exposing Smith to the new ball.

“Steve Smith is clearly keen to open,” said Smith. “But I’m surprised that Australia have opted to give him a crack against the West Indies later this month.

“He’s an incredible player, so you would expect that he’d be able to adapt, but I worry that the new ball will potentially expose him to too much.

“Usman Khawaja has had an incredible year, so with him still around there’s enough experience to blood another opener and give him an opportunity to build another partnership with someone new, without losing Smith’s runs in the middle order.”

Australia’s two-match series against the West Indies gets underway tomorrow (January 16) at the Adelaide Oval. The West Indies have the potential to field seven debutants in their side, with several senior players unavailable for the series.

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