‘Don’t like waiting’: Steve Smith reveals why he wanted to become Australia Test opener after David Warner's retirement

Australian selectors have promoted Steve Smith to the role of Test opener after David Warner retired from the format post the Pakistan series. Cameron Green, who lost his No. 6 spot to Mitchell Marsh during the Ashes, will now take Smith's place at No. 4 . Talking about the change, Smith said that discussions about this shift had been ongoing for a while, especially with the knowledge of Warner’s impending retirement in Sydney. He also said that the selectors were very keen to include Cameron Green in the lineup. “For me, it was a conversation saying, ‘I’m keen to go up to the top. If you were thinking about Greeny up the top, he hasn’t done it at all’. (Green) bats four in Shield cricket,” Smith said on Fox Cricket. “I don’t like waiting to bat, so I thought why don’t I put my hand up and have a crack up top? That way, you can get Cameron Green in and you’re playing your best six batters," added Smith. Also read: Michael Clarke backs Steve Smith to become top batter as Test opener Smith, known for his exgreeceptional form early in the innings, boasts an impressive average of 67.07 batting at first drop. With Marnus Labuschagne taking over the No. 3 position, Smith had to wait for a long time before walking out to field. “I am (excited). I like facing the newer ball. If you look back to the 2019 Ashes, I was in pretty early there most of the time where I was facing the new ball. I batted no.3 from a number of years as well and was in early and did pretty well against the new ball,” he added. The right-hander is visibly excited about the new role and said that he was quite successful during the 2019 Ashes when he frequently faced the new ball when he batted at number 3 and this should hold him in great shape for this new role. “So it’s nothing new or foreign to me. I enjoy getting in there and getting amongst it and I’m looking forward to that challenge,” Smith said. Australia’s two-match Test series against West Indies will start from 17 January. Matt Renshaw has also been included in the squad for the West Indies series. Australia came into this series after a 3-0 win over Pakistan.