Anchormen: Test stars set to step up for World Cup scrap

The Super 12 stage of this T20 World Cup is just four days old, but already Steve Smith is looming as arguably Australia's most important batter in what he expects to be a "scrappy" tournament.

Smith had been under some scrutiny just to win selection in Australia's best XI for the World Cup – last week, Shane Warne left the right-hander out of his favoured team – due to the form of Mitchell Marsh at first drop and the rapid rise of the uncapped Josh Inglis.

But as much as a trend can emerge just seven games into the Super 12 stage, the likelihood of this being a low-scoring tournament on used pitches makes it perfectly suited to Smith's calm head, solid defence and ability to find gaps in the field.

Smith top scored in Australia's first-up win against South Africa on Saturday when they needed 19.4 overs to reach a small target of 119, although the 32-year-old noted the low scoring was more due to good bowling than the state of the wicket.

In Tuesday's double header, Pakistan and South Africa successfully chased down totals of just 135 and 144 respectively in the 19th over, while the Windies (all out for 55 against England) and Scotland (all out for 60 against Afghanistan) have also struggled with the bat.

Similarly, in Round 1 of the tournament, 18 of the 24 totals posted were scores of fewer than 150, including five scores under 110.

There have been some exceptions, including Pakistan's clinical pursuit of 152 against India in Dubai and Sri Lanka's successful chase of 172 against Bangladesh in Sharjah, but Smith expects the low scores to continue on surfaces that were beginning to show signs of wear and tear before the World Cup even began.

"Throughout the IPL, playing on these wickets, there was a lot of really scrappy cricket, not huge scores which made the games pretty interesting and quite close," he said on Tuesday.

"It's slightly different to a lot of T20 cricket you would play. Quite often you would see flat wickets and big scores and guys going about their business. You have to change slight(ly the) ways you have to play and adapt to what's required on that surface.

"You need the ability to get off strike and manipulate the ball to certain areas more than just the power. (On) some of these wickets, even some of the powerful blokes struggle to hit sixes.

"You need some smarts about you in the middle and just having the ability to limit dot balls and get off strike."

Smith's career strike rate in T20 cricket is 128.12 – only Marsh (118.69) is slower amongst the other members of Australia's top six – but that scoring rate may well prove to be more than enough as the tournament rolls on.

Other teams, too, are aware of the value a Smith-like anchor batter can offer in this tournament. England have indicated they will persist with left-hander Dawid Malan despite a recent run of low scores to off-set their array of free-hitting batters, although critics have pointed out that Test skipper Joe Root – who was not picked in the squad despite playing a crucial anchor role in the 2016 tournament – may have been a better option to fill that role.

"That's exactly the reason why he's in there – he can act like a glue for us," coach Chris Silverwood said of Malan after the left-hander dropped down the order in England's tournament opener.

"We have a lot of power around him and just because we decided to go for power on this occasion, on other days we wouldn't."

India's Virat Kohli, Pakistan's Babar Azam (who both scored half-centuries in their tournament opener) and New Zealand's Kane Williamson all look set to play similar roles for their sides, with all – like Smith – among the best Test batters in the world.

It's a role Smith has handled with aplomb so far on this tour, posting scores of 35, 57 and 35 having come to the middle during the Powerplay in all three games (including two warm-up matches) due to the low scores of Australia's powerful but out-of-form opening pairing, Aaron Finch and David Warner.

Despite batting at first drop for most of the past two years, Smith says he's comfortable shifting up and down the order depending on the situation of the match.

"(My role is) a little bit different to what I've played previously," he said.

"My job is just to fix it if our top order don't come off and build a partnership with whoever I'm in with at that stage.

"If our top order do go well, the likelihood is that I'll slide down the order and let our big strong boys attack it. That's essentially my role. I think I've done it reasonably well in the first couple of trial games and our first game against South Africa.

"I know what I need to do, the rest of the team knows my role, we're all very clear on the way we all want to play. That clarity is there, it's just about us all going and doing it."

Tellingly, one team who has not had a noted anchor player in their side is the West Indies, whose title defence is on the rocks already having lost their opening two games of the tournament.

Boasting some of the most destructive power hitters in the game, the Windies have misfired against both England and South Africa, leading to calls from former players Ian Bishop and Darren Ganga for Roston Chase – also a noted Test player – to add balance to the side in the way Marlon Samuels did in their 2016 title win.

"I see myself playing a similar role (to Samuels)," Chase said before the tournament began.

"I just come in, most likely after the Powerplay, and just knock it around. Pick up the ones and twos and get the occasional boundary when the ball is in my area to score.

"With the power-hitting guys we have in this team, my role should be just to really give them the strike and let them do their thing."

2021 Men's T20 World Cup

Australia's squad

Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserves: Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams

Australia's matches

Oct 23:Australia beat South Africa by five wickets

Oct 28v Sri Lanka in Dubai (6pm local time, 1am Oct 29 AEDT)

Oct 30v England in Dubai (6pm local time, 1am Oct 31 AEDT)

Nov 4v Bangladesh in Dubai (2pm local time, 9pm AEDT)

Nov 6v West Indies in Abu Dhabi (2pm local time, 9pm AEDT)

All matches live and exclusive on Fox Cricket, available on Kayo Sports.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2021 ICC T20 WORLD CUP SCHEDULE

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL SQUADS FOR ALL 16 TEAMS

Super 12 stage

Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh

Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Scotland, Namibia