Smith was urged to play a “anchor role” at the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year in case his harder-hitting colleagues did not show up.
However, Smith disclosed to cricket.com.au in June that Michael Di Venuto, Smith’s assistant coach, had wished to have the “Mr Fix It” title taken off Smith’s head before the team’s trip to Sri Lanka.
And the 33-year-old feels his best in the shortest format is good enough for a position in Australia’s lineup.
“I feel like when I’m playing good T20 cricket, I’m in that team for sure,” Smith told reporters at Townsville’s Riverway Stadium on Tuesday.
“The role that I’ve been given the last couple of years is the ‘Mr. Fix It’ role and that tag’s been taken away from me now.
“For the Sri Lanka tour, and I felt like I could go out and just play with a lot more freedom and naturally and not have any kind of hesitation in the back of my mind.
“I can just take the game on and if I want to smack someone for six first ball, then I’m able to do that freely.”
Steve Smith also voiced disappointment after being refused admittance to the BBL last season owing to a contract dispute. Australia’s opening match in the men’s T20 World Cup, which it will host for the first time, will be against New Zealand on October 22 in Sydney.
“The series (ODIs against New Zealand) got cancelled and there was a window there for me to play some white-ball cricket in the lead up to the Sri Lanka T20s,” Steve Smith said.
“I wanted to play some domestic cricket in our domestic tournament to get some work in for that.
“I think my T20 cricket probably hasn’t been as good as I would have liked it to have been so I wanted to get some cricket in to prepare for that series and to not be allowed to play in my domestic tournament, that was the most disappointing thing for me.”