Steve Smith, the Test opener.

Usman Khawaja cautioned against it, as did former coach Justin Langer, while captain Pat Cummins confessed he preferred Smith at No. 4.

Yet, it’s happening. Smith will walk out to open the batting alongside Khawaja for this week’s series opener against the West Indies at Adelaide Oval, marking the start of a new era for the talented 34-year-old.

Middle-order batters reinventing themselves as openers isn’t uncommon, with Shane Watson, Simon Katich and Justin Langer among a growing list of Australians to successfully make the move.

However, the decision not to replace David Warner with a specialist opener raised eyebrows, particularly over in Western Australia. Smith is the most successful Test cricketer of the past decade, and if it ain’t broke …

Chief selector George Bailey denied that Smith’s promotion was an experiment, and if all goes according to plan, the Australian vice-captain will open the batting in next summer’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India and the 2025/26 Ashes against England.

‘LOOK BACK TO 2019’

Throughout his 167-match first-class career, Smith has never opened the batting. Not once.

Since making his debut for New South Wales in 2008, the right-hander has batted everywhere from No. 3 to No. 9, averaging 55.21 and compiling 48 centuries.

Smith’s been branded by some pundits as the best Test batter since Sir Donald Bradman, but does he boast the assets required to face a swinging ball with a packed slips cordon?

According to Smith, you only have to cast your mind back five years for evidence, citing the 2019 Ashes as proof he can succeed at the top of the order.

“I like facing the newer ball,” Smith told Fox Cricket on Friday evening.

“I think you look back to 2019 Ashes, I was in pretty early there most of the time where I was facing the new ball.

“I batted No. 3 for a number of years as well and was in early and did pretty well against the new ball.

“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’s not wrong — he averages 106.20 when walking out to bat in the first two overs of a Test innings, and you can’t deny he possesses the temperament and patience required to open the batting.

‘THE RECHARGE HE NEEDS’

Importantly, Smith is motivated by the challenge. Travis Head didn’t want it, Mitchell Marsh laughed it off, while Marnus Labuschagne apparently suffers from “opening-itis”.

But Smith, who is approaching the twilight of his Test career, is excited by the prospect of a fresh problem to solve, like a comedy actor taking on a dramatic role or a rock musician dabbling in jazz.

Many of Australia’s modern greats avoided the new ball when approaching the final stages of their Test career, with the likes of Allan Border, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey sliding down the order.

But it speaks volumes of Smith’s character that he’s willing and eager to take on one of cricket’s most challenging roles for the team’s betterment.

Former Test teammate Shane Watson believes the change will extend his Test career, and Aaron Finch agrees.

“I think it will reinvigorate and rejuvenate him,” the former Australian captain told reporters on Friday.

“Once you get on the merry-go-round of international cricket for 15 years, it can become a bit monotonous.

“This will be the recharge he needs, so going into the future we can see a lot more of Steve Smith in Test cricket.”

‘HE FINDS A WAY’

After the 2019 Ashes, it seemed as though Smith was unstoppable. The New South Welshman had made England’s world-class bowling attack look amateurish, scoring 774 runs at 110.57 throughout his career-defining campaign.

However, Neil Wagner found a weakness.

During the 2019/20 summer, the New Zealand seamer peppered Smith with bouncers, a tactic that worked wonders for the Black Caps. His scoring rate dipped dramatically during the three-Test series, dismissed by short balls on four occasions in five knocks.

Several teams have replicated the strategy in the years since, with slight variations and mixed success, but the short-pitched bowling and stacked leg-side fields undeniably restricted Smith’s stroke play.

Opposition teams weren’t necessarily finding it easier to dismiss Smith, but they were undoubtedly stemming the flow of runs, with his strike rate in Tests dropping from 56.37 before Wagner’s bumper barrage to 46.87.

Speaking to reporters at the SCG on Friday evening, former Australian opener David Warner suggested that Smith could avoid such negative tactics by opening the batting, as the opposition would be inclined to bowl fuller lengths in the channel to not waste the potency of the new ball.

At the top of the order, Smith is more likely to encounter conventional fields and length bowling, hopefully enjoying an hour in the middle before the bowlers revert to any short-pitched plans.

“Steve will fit into any position, it doesn’t matter what. When you’re the best batter, you will always adapt,” Warner explained.

“He likes to walk across and get onto the legside … people have been bowling short to him when he first gets in, but he finds a way.

“Early on, they’re going to try and swing the ball and pitch the ball up, and he is going to be able to get into his game and his game plan, get into the rhythm of how he wants to bat.”

‘I DON’T REALLY LIKE WAITING’

Labuschagne and Smith have formed a dream partnership in the middle order, combining for 2243 runs and nine century partnerships in Tests.

No pairing has compiled more runs since Labuschagne replaced Usman Khawaja at No. 3 during the 2019 Ashes series, with the duo averaging 60.62 in the middle.

However, Labuschagne’s dominance at first drop has at times been frustrating for Smith, who has spent countless hours in the sheds waiting for his turn to bat. Smith struggles to sleep the night before a Test innings, and that built-up nervous energy intensifies while sitting in the dugout.

“I probably think he’s bored at No. 4,” Warner continued.

“He doesn’t like waiting.”

It’s no secret Smith’s performance has dipped since Labuschagne broke into the Test side — the New South Welshman averages 50.25 when Labuschagne is in the starting XI but 78.23 when he isn’t.

Smith confessed his decision to throw his hat in the ring for the opening position was partly due to feelings of pad rash.

“Since I guess Marnus has been playing at No. 3, I’ve been waiting to bat for quite a long period of time, and I don’t really like waiting to bat,” Smith said.

“So I thought, why don’t I put my hand up and have a crack up top?

“Hopefully it works out.”

‘GET CAMERON GREEN BACK INTO THE FOLD’

Of course, Smith’s new role wouldn’t have even been an option if not for Cameron Green, who the national selectors were desperate to squeeze back into the Test side.

The 24-year-old, who averages 64.22 at No. 4 at first-class level, was arguably out of position at No. 6 in the Test side. The young all-rounder was superb at second drop for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield, scoring a career-best 251 in a drawn contest against Queensland at the Gabba in 2021.

It was assumed that Green would eventually replace Smith at No. 4 in the Test side, but with one eye on the future, the national selection panel fast-tracked the move. Green and Labuschagne could form the backbone of Australia’s middle order for the next eight years, while Smith might decide to hang up the boots within the next 24 months.

“There’s been conversations happening for a little while,” Smith continued.

“I know they were keen to get Cameron Green back into the fold.”

Green also provides a more than handy sixth bowling option for Cummins — the right-armer took a five-wicket haul during last summer’s Boxing Day Test against South Africa.

However, Green’s true value will be tested when Australia lose two early wickets and need a Smith-esque rescue mission from the No. 4. Time and time again, Smith has set the foundation for Australia’s innings after an early collapse, but it remains to be seen whether Green is up to the task.