 "Steve Smith and Matt Renshaw")
After the retirement of charismatic opener David Warner, Steve Smith could be moved up the order and, in all likelihood, open against the West Indies Test series, which starts on January 17 in Adelaide. Cricket Australia announced the squad for the West Indies Tests on Wednesday, and no recognised opener has been named in the squad.
Matt Renshaw returned to the squad but will miss the first Test against West Indies due to a Big Bash League commitment, Australia's selector George Bailey informed the reporters during the squad announcement.
Speculation that Steve Smith could be moved up from No. 4 to open with Usman Khawaja has increased, with Green expected to be inserted in the middle order.
The second match will be a day-nighter in Brisbane.
Renshaw, Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft were all considered options to fill the vacant spot.
Bancroft, among the leading scorers in the domestic competition but has only played two tests since returning from his nine-month ban following the so-called Sandpapergate scandal, urged selectors to go with a specialist opener.
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Australia's test squad: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Matt Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.
Australia's ODI squad: Steve Smith (captain), Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Matt Short, Adam Zampa.
Australia vs West Indies Test and ODI series schedule and match timings
Australia vs West Indies Test and ODI series schedule and match timings
| Match | Venue | Date | Time (IST) |
| 1st Test | Adelaide | January 17 - 21, 2024 | 5:00 AM |
| 2nd Test (D/N) | Brisbane | January 25 - 29, 2024 | 09:30:00 |
| ODI series | |||
| 1st ODI (D/N) | Melbourne | Feb 2 | 9:00 AM |
| 2nd ODI (D/N) | Sydney | Feb 4 | 9:00 AM |
| 3rd ODI (D/N) | Canberra | Feb 6 | 9:00 AM |
