Australia vs West Indies: Steve Smith to open for hosts; Cameron Green named in playing XI, Matt Renshaw recalled

Cameron Green will start the first Test for Australia against the West Indies, the selectors said on Wednesday. But the big development is the elevation of Steve Smith to the role of an opener. Warner retired from Test cricket at the weekend after playing his last against Pakistan in Sydney, having been a mainstay with the national team for 12 years. Recognised openers Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw were initially considered as main contenders for the job, until Steve Smith put his hat into the ring last week. Read | Michael Clarke backs Steve Smith to become top batter as Test opener Steve Smith will open the batting alongside Usman Khawaja, with all-rounder Cameron Green coming in at number four. “Steve Smith will be opening the batting and Cameron Green will be coming into the number four position which is fantastic,” chief selector George Bailey told reporters. “Steve’s motivated and energised and keen to do it. “It’s a challenge for him, it’s something … he thinks he can do. It’s an itch he’d like to scratch and ultimately for us, as a team, it’s something that fits.” But chief selector George Bailey said Green, who has been forced out of contention in recent times by a resurgent Mitchell Marsh, would definitely play. Shifting Smith up the order, rather than opting for a specialist opener, allowed selectors to bring Green back primarily as a batsman. “The way the rest of that batting order is functioning left us feeling like we have someone who we think is pretty talented, who potentially was going to find it hard to get any Test cricket in the next period,” Bailey said of Green. “I don’t think that’s going to be particularly beneficial for Greeny. We can get a lot of benefits out of him playing.” Renshaw is the only change in a 13-man squad for the two-Test series that starts 17 January in Adelaide, leaving Bancroft and Harris out in the cold. His inclusion in the squad comes as a big blow for Bancroft, who is the leading run-scorer in Sheffield Shield (Australia’s domestic cricket competition) over the last two seasons. However, at 27, Renshaw is four years younger. Whether pace spearheads Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, who played all three Tests against Pakistan, can back up for another two is another unknown. If selectors decide to rest one of them, Boland will step in. Selectors also named a 13-man squad for the one-day series against the West Indies that follows the Test matches, with Cummins rested and Smith taking over as skipper. Marsh, Starc, and Hazlewood will also sit out the three games limited over games. “The squad strikes a balance between players continuing to make their mark on international cricket, playing alongside some of our most experienced players with an eye to the future in this format,” said Bailey of the one-day squad. Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchel Marsh, Matt Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc Australia ODI squad: Steve Smith (capt), Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Matt Short, Adam Zampa