Islamabad, Feb 20: ICC Hall of Famer and former skipper Ricky Ponting has backed Steve Smith to play as an opener during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, saying that he could anchor the innings for Aussies at the top of the order.Australia’s ICC Champions Trophy campaign will kickstart on February 22 at Lahore against arch-rivals England, followed by matches against South Africa (February 25) at Rawalpindi and Afghanistan (February 28) at Lahore.
Ponting was speaking about Australia’s current injury woes with host Sanjana Ganesan on the latest episode of The ICC Review, with regular skipper Pat Cummins, fellow fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood, all-rounders Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh, plus even recently-retired all-rounder Marcus Stoinis (retired from ODIs) all missing from their 15-player squad for the event.
While Travis Head looks certain to feature in Australia’s top order at the Champions Trophy, Ponting thinks promoting Smith up from his regular role at number four is something selectors may be considering ahead of their first match at the tournament against England in Lahore on February 22.
It is a role Smith has relished domestically in T20 cricket, for the Sydney Sixers in Australia’s domestic Big Bash League, which recently included a searing 121* off 64 balls against the Perth Scorchers in January.
From 151 ODI innings for Australia, Smith has batted everywhere from third in the line-up right down to eighth, but has never opened. The decision centres around the faith Australian selectors have in talented hitter Jake Fraser-McGurk, who is still yet to deliver on the promise he’s shown in recent years.