Steve Smith, Australia’s seasoned batsman, is expecting a comeback to red-ball cricket in the second Test against the West Indies, which begins on 3 July in Grenada. Smith’s return, after missing the series opener due to a dislocated finger sustained in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against South Africa, is likely to improve the Australian top order.
Steve Smith was injured while fielding in the slips during the WTC Final at Lord’s, when his right little finger was dislocated.
After the injury, he flew to New York for recovery. According to skipper Pat Cummins, Smith has already began batting workouts with softer balls and is scheduled to rejoin the squad in Bridgetown on Sunday.
“He’s got a few hits in New York, which I believe were with a tennis ball and an incrediball. I think his wound is healing well, therefore the next step is to come over here and whack some balls in the nets. So we’ll find out more over the coming few days,” Cummins stated, as reported by.
The visiting squad won the first Test in Barbados convincingly by 159 runs, however the absence of Smith and Marnus Labuschagne hampered the batting department severely. The top order fell against Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales, scoring 22/3 in the first and 65/4 in the second innings. Despite the collapses, the squad won the game in just three days.
You need to discover a way to be effective. Pat Cummins
Young Sam Konstas was given a chance alongside Josh Inglis and Cameron Green at the top. Nonetheless, the trio laboured under pressure. Konstas scored only three and five runs, both of which were dismissed by Joseph, while Inglis, who was promoted to No. 4, scored only five and twelve. Green, on the other hand, went three for fifteen.
“You saw today how difficult a wicket it was; there weren’t many 50-run partnerships throughout the game. Of course, the top order would prefer to score more runs. The issue of Test cricket, particularly for young players, is that when you are put in different situations, you must find a method to be productive. “That’s the challenge for our young batting group,” Cummins said.
Australia will want to clinch the series 2-0 and build on their great start to the current World Test Championship cycle. The second Test will also be the inaugural match at Grenada’s National Stadium.
India
