Given that David Warner has retired, the search is on for Australia's next opening batter. One thing is certain—Warner has been in that position for thirteen years. It takes time to find him a replacement. The hunt began as soon as news of Warner's departure surfaced. While Michael Clarke has supported Steve Smith to go up the order and replace the opening rather than looking outside of the current Australian Test team, the legendary Ricky Ponting has stated his desire for Cameron Bancroft to take the position.
Clarke, the Australian captain who won the World Cup in the past, not only believes that Smith can "smudge" the opener so much that he may threaten Brian Lara's 400-run record, but he also believes that Smith may become the best opener in the world within a year of starting to open the innings. Smith is drawn to the concept of batting first and is "very keen" to do so.