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Camera IconSteve Smith of Australia looks dejected after being dismissed by Ben Sears of New Zealand. Credit: Kai Schwoerer\/Getty Images<\/p>\nIt\u2019s been nearly two years since Australia decided to hand Steve Smith the opening spot in Test cricket \u2014 a move that raised eyebrows then, and still says plenty about where we\u2019re at today.<\/p>\n
When that decision was made, Cameron Bancroft was piling on the runs and leading the Sheffield Shield charts.<\/p>\n
He looked every bit like a player who had done the hard yards, and he wasn\u2019t the only one at the time putting their hand up.<\/p>\n
Yet for some reason, the selectors went in another direction.<\/p>\n
Smith had never opened in first-class cricket. Never. But he was given the job ahead of those who had earned it against the West Indies in January 2024.<\/p>\n
The justification was balance \u2014 getting Cameron Green back into the side, freeing up the middle order, and trusting that a great player could just adapt.<\/p>\n
And to be fair, Smith is a great player. But the bigger question is: why are we still in this same conversation?<\/p>\n
Camera IconSteve Smith of Australia looks dejected after being dismissed by Ben Sears of New Zealand. Credit: Kai Schwoerer\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Fast-forward to now, and Australia still doesn\u2019t have a settled opening partner for Usman Khawaja.<\/p>\n
Khawaja himself is in the twilight of his career, but the end of that road is coming sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n
Behind him, there\u2019s a revolving door of possibilities, and now talk of Marnus Labuschagne being promoted to also bat in position he also normally does not. He won\u2019t even promote himself to the role for Queensland as he scores ton after ton at first drop for the Bulls.<\/p>\n
Labuschagne\u2019s recent purple patch has given the selectors something to think about, and coach Andrew McDonald\u2019s comments haven\u2019t exactly cleared the air.<\/p>\n
He said recently that it\u2019s not just about scoring runs, but how you go about it. It\u2019s an interesting line I agree with, but if history tells us anything, scoring runs doesn\u2019t guarantee selection anyway.<\/p>\n
Bancroft found that out the hard way. To me, that\u2019s the heart of Australia\u2019s current issue: the system seems to pick on theory and flexibility rather than form.<\/p>\n
Instead of finding a specialist opener and backing him for a stretch of time, we\u2019ve moved pieces around to fit others in.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s short-term thinking for a long-term role. Opening in Test cricket isn\u2019t just about surviving the first 10 overs \u2014 it\u2019s about setting the tone, wearing down new balls, and giving your side structure. You can\u2019t fake experience at the top. And that uncertainty up top now links directly to the team\u2019s broader stability.<\/p>\n
Green\u2019s recent side strain injury is another worry. He\u2019s got time to get right before the summer, but with Pat Cummins already under careful management after his back flare ups, it\u2019s starting to feel like we\u2019re one more setback away from the pressure really building on the team. From the outside, that pressure is obvious.<\/p>\n
On the inside, I\u2019m sure players and coaches will say they\u2019re staying calm \u2014 but you can feel it creeping in. For the individual players, all you can do is be ready. That\u2019s the game. But as a system, you want clarity \u2014 you want players knowing what their role is going into a home Test summer, not wondering if the selectors will shift someone again just to make it all fit.<\/p>\n
![\"Cameron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/cdf50a3a91427d6be678d1cda83d5236e84ffbce.jpg\")
Camera IconCameron Green poses during a portrait session. Credit: Chris Hyde\/Getty Images for Cricket Austral<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a parallel between the opening debate and how we talk about young players coming through.<\/p>\n
Take Sam Konstas, for example. I\u2019ve seen the \u201chighlight\u201d and the hype around his ramp shot off Scott Boland in the Shield.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s be honest \u2014 it was one shot. It got plenty of traction online, and people started throwing around the word \u201cX-factor\u201d. But let\u2019s look at it tactically.<\/p>\n
Put yourself in Boland\u2019s head for a second. Konstas has just played a high-risk, premeditated ramp \u2014 maybe it comes off, maybe it doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
But from a bowler\u2019s point of view, that\u2019s a win. You\u2019ve forced a player into something desperate or flashy to find a scoring option. And don\u2019t forget, Boland had already set him up beautifully for a duck in the first innings in just four balls.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a lesson right there. And it\u2019s not the first time Boland has taken his wicket and already has it over on him four times.<\/p>\n
In red-ball cricket, you can get away with a few ramp shots here and there, but you won\u2019t build a career on them.<\/p>\n
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Camera IconSam Konstas of New South Wales looks on during day two of the Sheffield Shield. Credit: Graham Denholm\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
You build it on temperament, patience, and decision-making. I\u2019m not having a go at Konstas \u2014 he\u2019s got genuine talent and a bright future. But he\u2019s not ready for an Ashes Test summer. And that\u2019s okay. What worries me is how quickly we hype someone up, how we push them before they\u2019ve even built the foundation.<\/p>\n
Let him make mistakes in Shield cricket. Let him learn away from the spotlight. That\u2019s how you build players who can last, not just trend for a day.<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s strength used to be about depth and readiness \u2014 the next man up had already earned it, not had it handed to him. Now it feels like we\u2019re searching for the perfect combination on paper, rather than rewarding the ones who\u2019ve done it on the park.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve got no issue with experimentation \u2014 the game evolves, and flexibility matters. But when you\u2019ve got blokes scoring runs consistently in domestic cricket, and you overlook them for theories that don\u2019t hold up long term, you risk sending the wrong message.<\/p>\n
Players start to wonder what else they must do.<\/p>\n
For me, the solution is simple. Back the openers who\u2019ve done the work. Stop moving your best middle-order players around like puzzle pieces. Build from the top. Pick guys who are hungry and battle-hardened, not the flavour of the week.<\/p>\n
Because until we do that, we\u2019ll keep having this same conversation \u2014 about balance, about experimentation, about who might fit \u2014 when really, we just need someone to walk out there, take the shine off, and do the hard yards.<\/p>\n