Cameron Green has revealed that before he was sidelined with a back injury he was willing to open the batting for Australia. Ahead of the Australian summer of cricket, selectors have officially declared they are looking for a new opener for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with Steve Smith to move back to No.4 immediately.

It means Smith’s time as a Test opener has lasted just four matches after he put up his hand to replace David Warner last summer. While Smith scored a 91 not out against the West Indies, he struggled to register a decent score against New Zealand away from home, only scoring 51 runs across four innings.

Smith will return to No.4, the spot where he cemented himself as arguably the best batter in Test cricket. And while Smith insists he did not see a big difference between opening or batting at No.4, he stated this week that he felt Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne preferred him batting below them.

And with Smith moving back to No.4 before injury ruled him out, Green was seen as a leading contender to open the batting against India. The West Australian had spent the first half of last summer preparing to open for Australia in Test cricket before Smith’s move created an opening at No.4 last summer. And Green was again preparing to open this summer until on Monday it was decided that he needed surgery on his back, ruling him out for at least six months.

Speaking before stress fractures in his back emerged, Green revealed he was ready to partner Khawaja this summer. “It’s always a thought that it may happen, and if it does happen I am very happy to put my hand up and do it (move to opener),” Green told AAP in August. “Especially when you sit on the sideline for Australia, you realise how much it means to you and how much you want to get back there. Any time you get asked to do a role in Test cricket you are very happy to put your hand up.”

Green had predominantly batted at No.6 in his first three years in the Test team, before averaging 53.6 at No.4 last summer. The allrounder put much of that down to an ability to bat patiently and contend with the swinging ball, traits that are also crucial as an opener.

“If anything I was more calm at that (No.4) position,” Green said in the same interview before his injury. “It’s a position I am pretty comfortable in and pretty happy in, taking my time and knowing there’s a lot more time in the innings than what there is batting at No.6. I am very happy with the ball moving around a bit more and if I am able to take my time and get myself in and get myself moving.”

Green is expected to miss at least six months of cricket following surgery on his back, meaning he will also sit out Australia’s two-Test series in Sri Lanka. What role Green returns to Australia’s Test team in is yet to be seen, with two Tests in the Caribbean next June and a home Ashes during the 2025-26 summer.

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Australian selectors face Test opener dilemma

With the loss of Green, and Smith moving back down the order, Australian selectors have been tasked with finding a new opener. The Aussies have been waiting for a batsman to put their hand up to take Warner’s place and the list of likely candidates now sits at three.

Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and rising star Sam Konstas loom as the most likely options to open in the first Test against India, starting on November 22. And they will all have an opportunity to stake their claim in the Sheffield Shield in the coming weeks before having the chance to impress for Australia A.

Former Test captain Mark Taylor has tipped Bancroft to earn a recall after being the leading scorer in the Sheffield Shield for the past two seasons. While former Test skipper Michael Clarke has urged selectors to seriously consider NSW batting sensation Konstas after a strong start to the new Shield season.

with AAP