"I'm actually happy to go up the top - Steve Smith keen on claiming David Warner's spot at the top of the order 

Australian batter Steve Smith, who is going through a bit of a lean patch, expressed his desire to open the batting, initially suggested by former player Shane Watson.

Australia are in search of a new opening batter, with David Warner retiring from Tests after the ongoing third Test against Pakistan in Sydney. Various names like Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft, and Cameron Green have made the rounds, but former all-rounder Shane Watson came up with a left-field choice in Steve Smith.

Smith has never opened the batting in his Test career but needs a desperate spark to turn his current run of form around. He was dismissed for 38 in the first innings against Pakistan on Day 3 of the third Test. The former skipper's only other notable batting performance in the series so far was a gritty fifty in the second innings of the Boxing Day Test.

"I'm actually happy to go up the top, yeah, I'm pretty keen if that's what they want to do," Smith told ABC Sport after Stumps on Day 3 in Sydney.

The leap from No. 4 to opening will be a substantial one, considering the additional challenges that the latter role brings. On the flip side, a new challenge might arguably bring out the best in Smith, making him sharper against the moving ball, and carving a separate niche for himself in the latter stages of his career.

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“I like, knowing the person, the idea of Steve Smith opening" - Shane Watson

Shane Watson had justified Steve Smith's ability as a potential opener based on his limited, but impactful outings at No. 3 for Australia in the past.

The ace batter has played at No. 3 across 29 innings, scoring 1,744 runs in 29 innings at an average of 67.08, which is better than his overall career average of 58.15.

“I like, knowing the person, the idea of Steve Smith opening. The reason why is that No. 3 is the perfect position for him. When he’s the man, he feels like he is the one who has to score the bulk of runs for his team, and when he was in his most prolific period, which was a long period of time, most of it was batting at No. 3," Watson said ahead of the third Test against Pakistan.

“When he was at No. 3 … he was scoring runs for fun, but when he comes in at No. 4, often the work’s been done, and finding motivation is more challenging for him. Steve Smith opening the batting, he has got the technique, is the challenge he needs. My concern is that if Steve Smith isn’t given a challenge, he might shut things down earlier than he needs," Watson added.

Do you think Steve Smith will be a successful Test opener at this stage of his career? Let us know what you think.