“For a few reasons, I think that’s crazy” – Matthew Hayden on Australia’s decision to send Steve Smith as an opener in Tests

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden feels the team’s decision to open the innings with Steve Smith is crazy. After David Warner’s retirement, Smith has opened the innings along with Usman Khawaja. Smith has scored 171 runs in four Test matches at an average of 28.50 while playing against the West Indies and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Smith has a fantastic record while batting at number four, scoring 5966 runs in 67 Test matches with an impressive average of 61.50, including 19 centuries.

“The rationale that [national selector] George Bailey gave was correct in so far as that he was choosing his best top six batsmen. Now, you can’t argue with Steven Smith, he is averaging 65 [57] in Test-match cricket… 32 Test-match hundreds,” Hayden said on the sidelines of the CEAT cricket rating awards in Mumbai.

“But the role of an opening batsman compared to a middle-order batsman is very different. And it didn’t take long to discover that when you get into challenging conditions, like they faced in the first series outside of Australia, which was in New Zealand, that opening the batting is very difficult,” he added.

Smith is a vital cog in Australia’s batting and Hayden is not impressed with the team’s decision to promote him as an opener.

“I, personally, as I said at the time, was on record saying that I didn’t like changing. I think it’s crazy to think that you have the world’s best-in-class batter in a certain position. And then you change to a completely different position. For a few reasons, I think that’s crazy. Firstly, why? Such a gun in that position, such a coveted player,” Hayden explained.

Hayden also feels Smith’s promotion as an opener is not fair to the other players, who are grinding hard in the domestic circuit as openers.

“And then it also is not a great nod to the first-class set-up, which is very much in the Australian culture, been driving great results towards key roles, be that any one of the roles – wicketkeeping, batting, spinners, fast bowlers, opening batters. So the [batting positions of] one, two and three is a category which needs to be protected in my opinion. It sets up play.”

The opening Test match between India and Australia will be played at Perth from November 22 onwards.