Former Australian cricket captain Mark Taylor has expressed concern over Australia’s approach to T20 cricket, suggesting there’s a “flawed plan” in their current strategy. Taylor’s comments come as Steve Smith remains sidelined, despite ongoing questions about the team’s top-order stability.
The spotlight has fallen on Jake Fraser-McGurk, who has been positioned as David Warner’s heir at the top of the order. However, the young talent struggled during Australia’s series against Scotland, recording two ducks and a score of 16. His underwhelming performances have intensified scrutiny on the selection choices for Australia’s T20 side, especially after their early exit from the T20 World Cup.
Smith, a stalwart of Australian cricket, was notably left out of the squad for the tours of Scotland and England, as well as the final roster for the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
Australia was eliminated during the Super 8 stage of the tournament, hosted by the USA and West Indies, with a shocking 21-run defeat to Afghanistan after chasing a modest target of 149.
Looking ahead to the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, Taylor believes there is still a key role for Smith, particularly on slower pitches. Speaking on Nine’s Wide World of Sports, Taylor questioned Australia’s batting philosophy.
“It seems to be at the moment it’s about putting more and more hitters in there and eventually one of them will come off,” Taylor said. “I think that’s a bit of a flawed plan because I’d like to see Steve Smith back in our order somewhere.”
Taylor pointed to the loss against Afghanistan as a prime example of why Smith’s presence is still crucial. The former captain argued that Smith’s skill set is well-suited for difficult conditions, particularly when flat pitches aren’t available.
“If or when you get a slow pitch, as we did in the recent World Cup, we lost to Afghanistan, which forced us out of that World Cup. We needed someone like Steve Smith in that middle order,” he explained.
Taylor added that while power-hitters are effective on flat tracks, matches played on slower pitches require a more measured approach.
“On a flat pitch, sure, put all your hitters in and go for it, try and make 200. On a slower pitch, sometimes 150 can be hard to chase, as we saw when Australia played Afghanistan in the recent World Cup,” Taylor said.
With the next T20 World Cup still two years away, Taylor hopes that selectors will reconsider Smith’s omission, especially as Australia begins searching for a long-term replacement for Warner.
