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3 Batters Who Can Replace Steve Smith In ODIs
Follow UsSmith announced retirement from ODI cricket after the Champions Trophy semi-final against India
Australia’s captain during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Steve Smith, bid goodbye to the ODIs on March 5 (Wednesday) after the team exited the tournament following a loss to India in the semi-final by four wickets on March 4 (Tuesday).
With Australia’s title defence on the line during the 2027 edition of the ODI World Cup, Smith felt that it would only be right to leave now and let the core team be built for the event in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
His absence leaves a big hole that needs to be filled soon in the ODI side, where he has mostly batted at number three. Smith appeared in 170 games, scoring 5800 runs at an average of 43.28.
Here are three batters who can potentially replace him in the Australian side.
Nathan McSweeney
The Queenslander is one of the rising batters in the Australian domestic circuit and has already made a Test debut against India. He averages 38.60 with the bat in 24 List A innings with a strike rate of 79.71. Someone who can also handle his own against spin, McSweeney’s batting tempo is quite suited to the 50 overs format, and he can prove to be a good replacement for Smith.
McSweeney recently even led South Australia to a 50-over title win, so he has it all in him to replace Smith.
Cameron Green
The tall all-rounder is among the strongest contenders to replace Smith in the eleven. He has already played 28 ODIs for Australia and averages 39.12 with the bat at a strike rate of 82.80.
Not just that, he has the technique to survive the new ball and also had the gears to accelerate on demand as he struck at 152.9 in T20Is. He can slot directly in as Smith’s replacement and provide value with a ball, something that this Australia team will need a lot going into the future.
Aaron Hardie
The Western Australian is primarily a bowling all-rounder right now, but he can be tried in the batting order. A first-class batting average of 38.20 indicates a decent batting pedigree, and with the value he adds with the ball, where he averages 31.76 in List-A cricket, he can be a resourceful replacement for Smith in the ODI side.
