Steve Smith will be the man to replace David Warner as Test opener, with selectors confirming his move will allow Cameron Green to return to the side at No.4.
Selectors on Wednesday announced their 13-man squad for the two-Test series which begins in Adelaide on January 17.
The team will be otherwise unchanged from the recent Test clean-sweep over Pakistan, with Matt Renshaw leapfrogging Marcus Harris as the reserve batsman and Scott Boland the back-up bowler.
“Steve Smith will be opening the batting and Cameron Green will be coming into the No.4 position which is fantastic,” chief selector George Bailey said.
A desire to pick the “six best batters in the country” and get allrounder Green back into the team led selectors to decide against a specialist opener.
When Warner announced his retirement plans back in June, it was expected the race to replace him was between Renshaw, Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft.
Bancroft has since piled on the most runs in the Sheffield Shield, backing up last summer’s big season for Western Australia when he also topped the charts.
But in Green Australia’s selectors see a generational talent, who also provides a genuine fifth fast-bowling option alongside Mitch Marsh and the three quicks.
“The way the rest of that batting order is functioning left us feeling like we have someone who we think is pretty talented, who potentially was going to find it hard to get any Test cricket in the next 12 months,” Bailey said of Green.
“I don’t think that’s going to be particularly beneficial for Greeny.
“We can get a lot of benefits out of him playing.
“(We’ve been) working through some of the solutions to that and how he could potentially slot in and where that could be.
“Steve’s motivated and energised and keen to (open).”
Green’s return comes after he was squeezed out of the team during last year’s Ashes when Marsh scored a century while filling in for him at Headingley.
Australia’s captain Pat Cummins had last weekend warned against moving Smith up to opener to allow Green to bat at No.4, concerned the switch would cause too much disruption to the order.
But officials have ultimately decided that is the best way forward, believing it can motivate Smith and potentially keep him playing Test cricket for longer.
AUSTRALIA SQUAD FOR WEST INDIES TEST SERIES:
Pat Cummins (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Matt Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.
