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“Just having that more attacking mindset rather than when I was playing that kind of role,” Smith said on Thursday. “I was probably in a more defensive frame of mind and almost just trying to get through without taking the game on as much.”
Friday was the perfect chance for Smith. Back in the team in the absence of the rested Mitchell Marsh, he walked out at No. 4 as Australia continued to tinker with their line-up.
But Finch is the captain and looks likely to open in the World Cup unless an injury sees Cameron Green come into the squad.
Unlike David, Smith can’t make up the gap with raw power and he freely admits it.
“I’m obviously not as strong and powerful as some of the other guys but some wickets entail just being smart and punching the ball and timing the ball really well as well,” Smith said the day before the Gabba match.
But he hasn’t been able to do that. Warner’s innings was full of quality stroke play rather than raw power. He mixed crisp timing with superb running between the wickets. Smith at his best can do that. But he hasn’t been able to strike fear in the opposition’s bowlers in T20 cricket in the way he does in Test and 50-over cricket.
David’s breathtaking hitting would have struck fear in Australia’s World Cup opponents as it has done in franchise cricket the world over. Yannic Cariah and Obed McCoy felt the full force as David swatted three sixes with a combination of easy swings and brute strength.
Smith has now become vulnerable to David the Goliath. Australia’s hierarchy had been confident Smith would come good in T20 cricket this year. Confident that the team’s best problem-solver would solve his strike-rate problem with more repetitions in the middle order.
He now looks surplus to requirements in a team intent on defending their title.
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