- Aug 6, 2021
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Kick in the guts for openers around the country.
Bancroft's papers well and truly stamped
The question wasn’t Bancroft v Smith. It was Bancroft v Green, Smith opening is purely the mechanism to get Green in.
If you’re asking who deserves the spot more and who will contribute more out of Bancroft or Green the answer is clearly Green IMO.
If you’re also betting your life on who’s more likely to score runs at the top out of Bancroft and Smith, again I think the answer is clearly Smith.
This is a sign that coaches and selectors are not as rigid in their view of the opener role and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. If you stop and think about it, technically there is absolutely no reason a successful top order bat can’t successfully open. There is a different challenge mentally and not everyone is up to it, however I think opening will actually free up Smith a little. It will likely mean bowlers will be more conventional in their field placings and lines/lengths to him which I think will help resolve some of the issues he’s had scoring since Wagner worked him out.
Tbh I think the “you need a specialist opener” thinking is a bit outdated in the modern game.