Joe Burns and Peter Handscomb are among those to have had the job in recent years. The difference is that the latest to occupy the role counts himself as a specialist.

Cameron Bancroft will make his Test debut at the Gabba on Thursday and while most attention will be on how he performs with the bat at the top of the Australian order, he is also intent on making an impact in the field.

For the 25-year-old there is no hesitancy about positioning himself short leg and the associated dangers that come with fielding so close to the bat. In fact, it is a responsibility he is eager to undertake.

"When I played my first couple of shield games for Western Australia, being the youngest bloke in the squad you get chucked at bat-pad don't you?" Bancroft said.

"So I think at the start I just did the role because I was the youngest player in the side. Then I took a couple of really good chances and I thought about it. I thought there's probably no one really in the world who sits there and thinks 'I want to be really good at this'.

"I remember a couple of years ago at the cricket academy I worked really hard on it and set myself a goal to be really good in that position. Because of that, that's why I've embraced the challenge of fielding under there."

Bancroft is a player so professional that in the past five years he has had to learn how to switch off from the game at times, so intensively was he pursuing his objective to make it to the top. The hope for him is that those countless hours pay off if and when an opportunity comes his way at short leg this week.

"I think there is a bit of luck involved when you're fielding there," he said. "There's no easy catch, that's for sure. Sometimes the ball just lands in your lap or it lands in your hand and you don't even realise. There's a lot of luck involved, or reaction. I think wicketkeeping helped - my ability to stay low and things like that.

"I have fun doing it. I feel like you're always in the game, and I love the prospect of being able to make a difference to the game by taking a catch or even stopping a run that gets flicked and it hits you or something."

Bancroft was picked as the latest in a growing line of opening partners for David Warner, who was under an injury cloud on Tuesday after hurting his neck at training. The right-hander believes he can fit alongside the vice-captain nicely.

"He brings a lot of energy to the crease, doesn't he? He comes out, backs himself and that's a style of play that has made him successful," Bancroft said.

"For me, I'm probably not as flamboyant as the way he plays. But I know that if I stick to my process and what's got me here, I'll give myself the best chance to do well."