Can we play tomorrow? Rejuvenated Steve Smith ready for WTC Final vs South Africa
Australia's star batter Steve Smith is eager to take on South Africa's pace attack in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's. Smith, 36, arrives for the World Test Championship final against South Africa sounding relaxed, refreshed, and - crucially - ready. It's a version of Smith that hasn't been seen in some time. And perhaps that's because, for once, he took a complete break from the game.advertisementFollowing Australia's semi-final exit from the Champions Trophy, Smith quietly announced his retirement from ODIs. Instead of diving straight back into red-ball preparation, he stepped away. He spent over two months in New York, living life without a bat in hand - a conscious and calculated reset."I'd normally have a bat laying around the house, doing a bit of shadow batting without even realising," Smith said in London this week. "But I made a decision to put it away. I didn't touch a bat until our first hit here."
For a cricketer known for his obsessive preparation, it was a rare detour. But it worked. That first hit felt right - too right, even."My first hit felt strangely good," he said. "Usually it goes: good, awful, then I find rhythm. But both sessions were really solid. Everything just clicked into place."advertisementIt wasn't just time away from cricket that rejuvenated him. Smith also took on a fresh physical challenge, working with a personal trainer in New York to target strength and mobility. The results have been telling."I feel as strong as I've been since maybe 2014," he said. "My hips are in great shape, I'm getting lower - that'll help in the slips too. It's probably the best I've felt physically in years."Smith heads into the WTC final in superb form, with four centuries in his last five Tests. He returns to his preferred No. 4 spot in the batting order, with Cameron Green set to come in at No. 3 and Marnus Labuschagne likely to open alongside Usman Khawaja. Smith had filled in at the top of the order earlier this year following David Warner's retirement, but the role didn't quite suit him."I still feel like I could open," he said. "But I didn't do it fabulously in the four games I had. These days, anyone in the top four could be in inside an over anyway."Back in his familiar middle-order role, in control of his game and body, Smith looms as a key figure in Australia's push to defend their WTC crown. South Africa's attack, led by Kagiso Rabada, will pose a stiff challenge, especially in the seaming conditions at Lord's. But there's a quiet confidence about Smith - not born of routine, but of clarity."I've hit so many balls over my career," he said. "It's like riding a bike, I suppose." And right now, the wheels are turning smoothly. For Smith, and for Australia, the timing couldn't be better. You May Also Like
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Time of India
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Time of India
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WTC Final: Steve Smith opens up on his future, keeps India tour plans under wraps
Steve Smith (Photo by) Australian cricket star Steve Smith has indicated he is taking his Test career "day by day" and avoiding thoughts about potential tours to England and India in 2027. The 36-year-old veteran's immediate focus remains on the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's starting June 11, following his impressive form of four centuries in his last five Tests against India and Sri Lanka. Smith recently retired from ODI cricket in March after accumulating 5,800 runs in 170 appearances, including 12 centuries and two World Cup victories. His last ODI appearance featured a 73-run knock against India in the Champions Trophy semifinal. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! While Smith hasn't played T20 internationals since February 2024 and hasn't participated in the IPL since 2021, he maintains his interest in the shorter format. He plans to play two Major League Cricket matches for Washington Freedom between the WTC final and Australia's first Test against West Indies in late June. "I am definitely not looking that far ahead," Smith said regarding the 2027 tours. "I am kind of taking it day by day. While I am enjoying it, while I am batting nicely and feeling like I am contributing to the team, I am pretty happy. But that [2027] is a while away." Major League Cricket: Liam Plunkett on how cricket can boom in the USA Speaking about Lord's Cricket Ground, Smith expressed his deep appreciation for the venue. "I think it is probably, outside of Sydney, my favourite ground to play at. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Преносим лазерен заваръчен апарат - последен модел 2024 Murreice Научете повече Undo The history, the surface itself. It always takes a few balls just to get used to that slope. One end, you feel like you are standing really tall, the other end, you feel like you are falling over a little bit. But the ball races away, both up the hill and down the hill. " He added further thoughts about Lord's: "And then the lunch is fabulous. They always say it is a great place to miss out so you can enjoy your lunch. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the last few years I have done really well there, so I have not been able to cash in on that." Smith's record in England is impressive, with 2,255 runs in 22 Tests at an average of 55.00, including eight centuries and nine fifties. At Lord's specifically, he has scored 525 runs in five Tests, with two centuries and two fifties in nine innings. Quiz: Who's that IPL player? His overall Test career statistics are remarkable, having scored 10,271 runs in 116 Tests at an average of 56.74, with 36 centuries and 41 fifties. This makes him Australia's fourth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket. The upcoming World Test Championship final will see Pat Cummins leading Australia as they attempt to retain the championship mace won against India in June 2023 at the Oval. South Africa, under Temba Bavuma's leadership, will be seeking their first ICC trophy in over two decades. The Australian squad for the final includes Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, and Matt Kuhnemann, with Brendan Doggett as the traveling reserve. Smith has also expressed interest in representing Australia in the Olympics, aiming to secure a gold medal for his country.
India Gazette
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Steve Smith speaks on not touching the bat after CT2025, how Adelaide Test failure against India
London [UK], June 8 (ANI): Australia star batter Steve Smith opened up on how he made a 'conscious effort' to keep the bat away from his hand following ODI retirement and give himself a break, as he prepares for his team's title defence in the ICC World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's. Smith, 36, who retired from ODIs after his side's semifinal run in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, will be aiming to continue his superb form in whites and hit another century for ages during the title clash for the Test mace on June 11. Having hit a century during 2023 WTC final against India in UK, Smith struggled for runs for a while before regaining his magic touch during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. In his last five Tests across India and Sri Lanka Tests, he has scored four centuries. But while some of his teammates played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) all this while and some represented the English counties to acquint themselves with playing conditions prevailing during the WTC final, Smith spent some time in New York before finally picking up his willow for the nets session few days back, telling the Aussie coach Andrew McDonald, 'Can we play tomorrow, I am ready to go.' While the Australian set-up since a long while has trusted player to plan their preparations the way they want and one could be trusted to do the right thing after 10,000 runs under their belt, it was still not normal for Smith to pick up his bat for a few months, a known cricket nut known to shadow bat and practice really hard. Turning 36 just last week, he was in America working with a new personal trainer on a fitness regime. He said that he feels as strong as 2014, with improved mobility in hips that could assist him in taking better catches at slips. 'I would normally have a bat laying around the house somewhere and just pick it up and do a bit of shadow batting and stuff. But I made a conscious decision to try and just let it go for a while. It was good,' said Smith as quoted by ESPNCricinfo. 'I had not hit a ball since I missed a full toss off Mohammed Shami in the Champions Trophy (during March). Fortunately, everything sort of clicked into place immediately. I feel like I am moving really well, I feel strong and just ready to get into it now.' 'Normally how it works is my first hit is good, my second hit is awful, and then I would get better from there. But both hits were just really good and I was like, hopefully it does not turn around now and I do not have to spend hours in the nets the next couple of days,' he continued. It is really helpful that Smith has a Test average of 56.01 in England with 12 tons and scored 121 against India in WTC 2023 finals. At Lord's, his average increases to 58.33 and the last time he played at the ground during the 2023 Ashes, he scored a magnificent century. Smith said that there was some extra bounce from the centre wicket at Beckenham where Australia had their initial training block, which felt like 'almost felt like we were playing at Perth stadium.'. He expects conditions to be different when preparations shift to Lord's on Sunday. 'I play a lot of back foot shots here, I do not tend to get too far forward to the ball. I try and score really square of the wicket. It kind of just suits me in a way. Hopefully can kick off where I left off the last couple of Tests that we played [in Sri Lanka],' he said. After a breathtaking century at Lords's during 2023 Ashes, Smith had to wait 23 innings for his next and struggled with his game to the point that some called for him to be dropped. This was the longest wait for a century in his Test career. A part of it was due to his move to opening spot following retirement of David Warner, where he had mixed outings largely except for a resillient 91 in losing effort against West Indies at Brisbane. As soon as he moved down the order, Smith felt liberated, with four Tests in eight innings across series against India and Sri Lanka. He admitted that during the Adelaide Test against India last year, when he scored just two runs off 11 after being removed by Jasprit Bumrah, was a rare moment when he felt some scrutiny. 'I feel like I have been in the team for a while and I have not felt under a great deal of pressure. Maybe a little bit after Adelaide last year was the most I have felt. And maybe [that's] why I came out the next game and was really, really hungry to get a good score in Brisbane. But that was external talk and things cross my desk all the time. People send me things that people are saying. So I do not know, maybe something clicked in me and I wanted to get back to the position of being a bit more comfortable again,' he said. By then, Smith had adopted a less-is-more approach to training, which was further crystalised by a conversation with Michael Hussey early during the series against India. 'We are a bit older, we have hit a lot of balls. It is about having that mental side as switched on as it can be for the big moments. And you do not want to use up all your energy in the nets. There is a fine balance, of course. I am someone that needs to feel really prepared. And I do not want to leave any stone unturned in my preparation so that when I go to the middle, I am ready to play,' he said. 'But I have also got to realise that the older you get, the mental side I think probably wears a little bit thinner on you. And you have got to try and be in the best space you can be in the middle to bat for long periods of time. Sometimes I might get the balance wrong. But when you are hitting the ball well, you can sort of do what you want in terms of your preparation in a way. You can just let it be and trust that when you get to the middle, it is all going to be okay,' he concluded. Pat Cummins-led Australia will be looking to retain the mace that they claimed after defeating India in the previous edition of the World Test Championship Final at the Oval in June 2023. On the other side, a determined South Africa aim for their first ICC trophy in over two decades, with Temba Bavuma leading the charge. Australia: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann. Travelling reserve: Brendan Doggett. (ANI)
