Champions Trophy 2025: Adam Gilchrist feels this player should open for Australia

“But I do think Smith can open — we have seen him do that in 20-over cricket really well,” Gilchrist said on ABC Summer Grandstand show on Saturday

Legendary Australia cricketer Adam Gilchrist said stand-in captain Steve Smith should be slotted in as an opener in the ODI team for the upcoming Champions Trophy, citing it as a way of maximising the number of deliveries he can face in the side’s matches in Pakistan.  In Australia’s heavy 2-0 ODI series loss in Sri Lanka, Smith made 12 and 29 as a middle-order batter. But with young Jake Fraser-McGurk in an inconsistent run of form, Gilchrist feels Smith has to open the batting, though he finds Matt Short as an interesting option to partner with Travis Head at the top.

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“It’s a challenging one at the moment, but Smith should open. I didn’t see where he was slotted in the game against Sri Lanka. Obviously, Travis is going to be there — he’s fresh and fit. I also like Matt Short being there — he can form a nice left hand-right hand combination — that would be the preferred way for me to go.

“But I do think Smith can open — we have seen him do that in 20-over cricket really well,” Gilchrist said on ABC Summer Grandstand show on Saturday.

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