Smith clears hurdle in push for Grenada Test return

The Age

17 hours ago

Smith mainly focused on his off-side play and getting his hands hitting through the line of the ball.
The 35-year-old moved through a series of drills that included 55 balls in the warm-up nets, throwdowns from coach Andrew McDonald and Marnus Labuschagne, and then a stint facing quicks Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland.
Australian captain Pat Cummins didn't bat or bowl on Tuesday - instead opting to do work in the gym - but is in no danger of missing the match.
Smith looked largely untroubled, bar a thin edge on ball No.48 and the occasional glance at his injured finger, which still appeared to affect some of his bottom-hand play.
He also tested himself in the field, taking catches with reasonable comfort and later spending time in conversation with McDonald and physiotherapist Nick Jones. While Smith grabbed at his finger several times, batting seemed less of a concern than fielding.
Australia will be doing their best to hide Smith on the field. He joked earlier in the week he couldn't remember the last time he fielded at fine leg.
Still, with 10,350 Test runs to his name, Australia are keen to have him back.
'He's a class player,' Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey told reporters before training. 'I think any time you add 10,000 runs to the back into the line-up you have got to be pretty happy. He seems pretty confident.
'He's excited to get back in, but also, it's been tough at the top of the order. To add a little bit more experience is good for the group, but I think they're doing a pretty good job.'
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West Indies coach Daren Sammy is planning for Smith's return.
'Steve Smith, if he comes in, poses a different challenge to us,' Sammy said. 'He's very experienced and world-class. We now have to plan against him as well.'
Both teams got their first look at the Grenada surface, which looked excellent for batting two days out from the match. Locals say the pitch tends to produce draws at domestic level, which could be welcome news for Australia's top order, including Konstas and Cam Green, who had long net sessions on Tuesday after modest showings in Barbados.
It would be a surprise if Australia changed their XI outside of Smith replacing Inglis at No.4.
'We've played more white ball cricket here but it's normally a really good cricket wicket,' Sammy said. 'I had a look [and there is] a much more even cover of grass.
'We shot ourselves in the foot [in the first Test]. You cannot drop seven catches against the world No.1 team and expect to compete all the time and be victorious.'