Steve Smith offers an alternative take

As Shield round leaves us all a little dumber

The current round Sheffield Shield round was supposed to at least go someway to answering the burning questions around the Test side, but it could be argued at the half way point of all three games that we now know less than we did before they started.

We do, however, at least have a little more information on Steve Smith and what’s going on there.

It had not sat well with everybody that the best Australian batsman of his era had apparently asked to slip back down to four.

Such was the scenario relayed in corridors by those in the know, but as I said on the Cricket Et Al podcast last week, you need to be a little cautious in these situations because the enigmatic Smith has not explained himself.

He rarely does, he has often been the guy to sit quietly while everybody speculates. I recall him saying one day around the time we were all theorising about whether he would start to wear neck protection following the Jofra Archer hit that he said he “liked to prove people wrong”, or words to that effect.

Smith proved me wrong again by fronting the media after the second day of the Sheffield Shield match in Victoria. It was curious he put himself up, but perhaps he saw it as an opportunity to clear the air and counter criticism.

"I got asked where I'd prefer to bat, and I said four. I didn't ask [to move] though," Smith said. "I also said I'm happy batting wherever. I'm not really too fussed. I saw a few things last week saying that I've requested to bat at four. That wasn't the case. I said I'm happy to bat wherever you'd like me to bat but, yeah, four would be my ideal position.”

Smith acknowledged that the discussion started before it was known that Cameron Green would be absent from the position he’d vacated for him.

 "Obviously there's a spot there now with Greeny out. And I think just conversations we had after New Zealand with particularly Marnus and Uzi, they hated me up top, to be honest. They wanted me behind them.

"They just like the...they call it security behind them, in a way. They were pretty strong on me not batting there. So that was a big part of it. And then obviously, I've got a decent record at four,” he said.

"It was good fun having a crack at something new, batting up top. I still feel like I could do a job there for sure. It was a pretty small sample size. But I've done pretty well at four for a number of years now. I feel like it's probably where I can have my best input for this team at the moment."

"Honestly, I'm not that fussed.

"I said it when I took that job, I'm not really fussed where I bat. The conversations I had with the other guys, they didn't like it at all. They wanted some security, I suppose, behind them, where I've done really well for a number of years, and I can understand that as well. So it is what it is and I'm not going to be opening this summer. That's it."

Smith’s explanation frames his move as, again, doing what’s best for the team, countering suggestions he was being self-centred, but people will take away from that what they choose. He cited similar in his offer to move into David Warner’s vacant opening position.

As noted, the second round of the Shield has not been kind to those searching for signs as to who will be Smith’s replacement in. the opening position.

NSW’s golden child, Sam Konstas, failed to convert water to wine in the first innings and gave a little fuel to the more cynically disposed. So too Marcus Harris, who started strongly in the first round, but has not got going against the Blues. Cameron Bancroft and Matthew Renshaw are also yet to find their feet, or runs. Pete Handscomb followed up a good first round with a solid first innings against an attack that included Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird, Shaun Abbott and Nathan Lyon.

Abbott’s five for in the first innings keeps him in contention and his first class batting average of about 25 should keep him in the same argument of another bowling “allrounder” Michael Neser who ticks along around 29.

Neither have the all round talents of a Green or a Mitch Marsh, but both could mount an argument for inclusion should the bowling need a refresh and the batting be in need of a bump.

There’s a bit of interest in Nathan McSweeney, the Australia A captain who is believed to have the potential to possibly take the next step, although there appears to be no great rush. He’s batting in the second innings as I type and got off the mark with a nice drive through cover to the fence. (Marnus is bowling seam again, by the way).

Tasmania’s Beau Webster averaged over 50 in the Shield last year and picks up wickets but the thought is WA’s Aaron Hardie, who also has an impressive first class record, might have his nose in front.

Anyway, it’s unfolding before our eyes and making for one of the most interesting starts to the first class season for some time.