Steven Smith will be opening the batting for the first time in Test cricket in the upcoming two-match Test series against West Indies on his home soil. He has played 105 Test matches in his career and all those games were as non-openers, thus he is all set to open only in his 106th Test match.
Here, in this article, we will have a look at players who played 100-plus matches in Test cricket without opening the batting for Australia.
Batters who have never opened in Test cricket and played 100+ matches for Australia:
- Allan Border (156 matches)
- Mark Waugh (128 matches)
- Ian Healy (119 matches)
- Steve Waugh (168 matches)
- Ricky Ponting (168 matches)
- Michael Clarke (115 matches)
From the above list, we can see a total of six players from Australia having played more than 100 Test matches without opening the batting for their side. Steven Smith after playing 105 matches so far hasn't opened but they have already announced their XI against West Indies with Smith as opener.
Most runs for Australia in Test cricket as a non-opener:
- Ricky Ponting - 13378 (287 inns)
- Allan Border - 11174 (265 inns)
- Steve Waugh - 10927 (260 inns)
- Steven Smith - 9514 (187 inns)
- Michael Clarke - 8643 (198 inns)