But while he’s dominated the Test and ODI formats over the 15 years, Smith has never quite set the T20 world on fire.

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While we all remember Smith’s back-to-back BBL centuries for the Sydney Sixers in January 2023, the opener has only tallied one other T20 ton — a 54-ball 101 for the Pune Supergiants in the 2016 IPL.

In 217 innings, Smith has three tons, 24 fifties and an average of 30.79 — along with a strike rate of 127.76.

In international T20Is, Smith’s average drops to 24.86 and a strike rate of 125.45 with just five fifties in 55 innings.

To put it in context, for players who have had over 20 innings for Australia, Smith ranks 15th of 23 batters.

While Smith would likely need to bat at the top of the innings at the T20 World Cup in July, he’s in competition with the likes of David Warner, Travis Head, Josh Inglis and even Mitch Marsh, all who have a higher average and strike-rate than Smith.

Those with less experience include BBL record breaker Matt Short and the highly-touted Jake Fraser-McGurk, who hit a world record 29-ball hundred in the Marsh Cup last year.

Smith could have put the speculation to bed in New Zealand where he opened in the second and third matches of Australia’s three-game clean sweep.

The 34-year-old tallied 11 from seven balls and four from three in his two innings.

For many years, Smith has been among the first selected for any Australian team he’s wanted to play for.

But now he’s not in the best options.

Smith could step aside, allow the young bucks to do what they do in the shortest form of the game and solidify his positions as Test opener and ODI middle-order mainstay, but former Aussie quick Mitchell Johnson said he appears to be positioning himself to follow David Warner’s lead.

Warner retired from Test and ODI cricket, will retire from T20I cricket after the World Cup and will try his hand on the T20 circuit.

Writing for The Nightly, Johnson suggested Smith was only trying to push his case for the World Cup to set himself up for the future.

“I wonder if international T20 cricket is something he really wants to play,” Johnson questioned.

“Of course, he will most likely play in a few different leagues around the world when his Test career is over and so maybe there is a dangling carrot in that he wants to perform at international level and at a World Cup to boost his chances of playing in leagues where he can earn himself big pay cheques.”

Johnson added Smith “needs to bat as opener”.

“That gives him time to get himself in and his eye in and once that happens he can hit it all over the park,” Johnson said.

“And with Australia’s explosive batting attack, that could be a good fit for Smith, but Australia need to see him score and do that job consistently before he could be considered for the World Cup.”

But after failing in New Zealand, he’s got precious few chances left.

Smith went unsold in the IPL auction last year and will be hoping to be signed as an injury replacement ahead of July’s World Cup in a last-gasp bid to put his name forward.

Johnson wasn’t the only one who believed Smith needed to bat at the top of the order as former England captain Michael Vaughan told foxsport.com.au.

“I think his only position really is to open, because he has the skill in the game to maximise that first six overs brilliantly. He is a skilful player,” Vaughan said.

“But if he is not going to open, I don’t think he should play. If you are going to play him, he bats in the top two, and that is great. He will face 50 balls and get you an 80 or 90.

“If he is not going to open, I don’t see him having an impact in the middle order after the powerplay. You need people who can whack it into the stands from (overs) six to 20.

“He can do that once he is in, but I think he is a better player in the first six (overs) when there are only two men outside the circle.”

Speaking before the second T20I in New Zealand, Andrew McDonald confirmed that Smith was still in Australia’s planning for the World Cup, revealing 20 players were still in the running for the 15-man squad.

“If he wasn’t in our thinking then he wouldn’t be on the plane over here,” McDonald said of Smith following Australia’s thrilling first-up win over NZ at Wellington on Wednesday evening.

“We’re playing him for a reason.

“He’ll get some opportunity here, he had some opportunities in India at the back end of a World Cup and we were planning for him to play in South Africa as well going as far back as August-September (last year), but he unfortunately had a wrist injury at the time, so he missed those three one-dayers.

“But he’s definitely in the thoughts. We’ll probably play him in a slightly different role to what we’ve seen in previous World Cups in T20 cricket.

“He’s gone to the top of the order in recent times, so batting high up there’s still competition for places.

“I suppose that’s a good problem to have.”