Steve Smith and Australia survived another injury scare when he copped a blow on the very finger, the pinkie of the right hand, he had dislocated in the World Test Championship final against South Africa last month. The ball from Alzarri Joseph reared up from hard length, seamed back into his body sharply, and when taking the evasive measure, exposed his right glove and the ball cannoned onto it.
He didn’t show any immediate pain, but after facing the next ball, he removed his gloves, revealing a heavily strapped little finger. But when he looked to flex the finger, he grimaced in pain. The physio and his team rushed to attend to him. However, he showed hardly any discomfort to stroke an emphatic 71, the half-century not only helping Australia recover from a tricky 3/28 to 221/7 at the end, with a commanding lead of 254 runs, he also completed 15,000 runs in first-class cricket.
In the post-match chat with the broadcaster, he admitted that he suffered pain on the finger, but was fine. “My first ball hit me straight on the finger. It was not ideal but it feels alright. It is that kind of surface,” he said.
The deck at St George’s is getting more difficult to bat, he admitted. “Some can shoot up, you might have to take a few on the hands, but it is all good. We are in a nice spot. It was a tricky surface – little up and down, little bit of seam movement. Don’t think the wicket is going to get any better, will probably do a few more tricks,” he said.
He made the required adjustments to bat freely. “Decided to bat on middle stump, stay still and negate lbw as much as possible, and try to use the full face of the bat as much as possible. Tried to cash in on anything loose to put the pressure back on the bowler,” he said.
His team is aiming to set a target of 300-plus to chase on the surface. “The new ball is going to be pretty crucial for us. Hopefully we can get up to somewhere around 300 and then we’ll see how it goes,” he said.
In the commentary box, Greg Blewett couldn’t stop showering superlatives on Smith. “He’s looking ominous on a surface where a lot of people have struggled. He’s just got this unbelievable belief that he’s going to make runs whenever he bats. Smith looked like a dynamite as soon as he went out there. He’s been at another level really,” he said.
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Former West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite continued the raves: “Steve Smith has proven why he is one of, if not, the best batter in our generation.”
