After suffering a complicated dislocation against South Africa at Lord’s during the World Test Championship final, Steven Smith is expected to be fit for Australia’s second Test match against the West Indies in Grenada.
After their three-day triumph in the first Test, Smith returned to the team in Barbados on Saturday night after spending the previous week in New York, where he had a net against a tennis ball and a soft cricket ball known as the “incredi-ball.”
Head coach Andrew McDonald expected him to be ready to return at No. 4, which is likely to see Josh Inglis drop out of the XI. However, he still needs to complete a few procedures with the medical staff, with Tuesday’s training session in Grenada likely to be the crucial day.
“It’s really about functionality around the finger rather than anything else,” McDonald stated. “That finger’s long-term health won’t be in jeopardy. He will come back, and I believe he will play. He will have the major session two days before to the next game.
“The day before [the game], he will [also] train. I anticipate that Smith will return at No. 4 if all goes according to plan.
Smith was told he would have to wear a splint for eight weeks after he was hurt on the third day at Lord’s after dropping a catch that Temba Bavuma had offered. On his return, he won’t be able to field in the slips and will have to patrol the outfield, which might require some supervision considering his elbow issues.
Smith will undoubtedly return to his spot at No. 4 if healthy, but the issues at the top of Australia’s order have sparked a discussion about whether he should take a back seat at No. 3 to make room for Cameron Green to move down in the order.
“In terms of why we see him as No. 4, I think we’ve settled on that,” McDonald stated. “If we so desired, we could slide him up higher. He’s performed admirably at number three. However, I believe that rather than taking the chance of making too many movements in the order, we should maintain him at number four and build around his ability to stabilise that position, two down, and be perhaps our best batter over the past 12 months.”
Given that Smith might just miss the opening Test, McDonald was also careful to avoid adding more ambiguity to the batting order, which is why Travis Head, a veteran player, has remained at No. 5.
Marnus Labuschagne, who was benched for the first time in the format since 2019 before the first Test, might be released from the squad to play cricket, either for Glamorgan or in the Australia A series against Sri Lanka A in Darwin, which begins next month, if Smith is available for the rest of the series. On July 13, which would coincide with the last Test in Jamacia, the first four-day match of the ‘A’ series would start.
“If we do have a surfeit of batters then we’ll explore match opportunities for sure,” McDonald stated. “With the quick bowlers, I believe we’ve done it over time. Scott Bowling has been deported back from India. Therefore, we’ll search for gaming time if we feel like we’re carrying too much.
“[But] players also have a long way to go to get here. It’s a long travel if we release someone and they have to arrive late. Therefore, we simply need to balance that out.”
But according to McDonald, Labuschagne will be included in the ODI team that plays South Africa in the Top End in August.
“He’s important in our one-day structure,” he stated. In addition to Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith recently retired. As we move closer to 2027, we don’t want to jeopardise one-day cricket.”
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