WI vs AUS: Steve Smith Likely to Play Second Test Against West Indies

Steve Smith
Steve Smith (PC: X)

Steve Smith, who suffered a compound fracture during the World Test Championship final at Lord’s against South Africa, is likely to return for the second Test against the West Indies, currently underway in the Caribbean. Australian head coach Andrew McDonald has expressed optimism about Smith’s availability and expects him to resume his role at No. 4 in the batting order. If Smith returns, Josh Inglis is expected to make way.

“It’s really about functionality around the finger rather than anything else. There’ll be no risk to the long-term health of that finger. He’ll return, and I think it’s likely he’ll play. Leading into the next game, he’ll have the main session two days out,” McDonald said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

“We want to keep him at four” – McDonald on Smith

The Australian coach also addressed questions about Smith’s position in the batting order. While acknowledging that Smith has performed well at No. 3 in the past, McDonald made it clear that the team prefers to keep him at No. 4, where he has delivered consistently over the past year.

“In terms of why we see him as No. 4, I think we’ve settled on that,” McDonald said. “We could slide him up higher if we wanted to. He’s been excellent at number three. But I think if you look at the last 12 months at No. 4 and his ability to stabilise that position, two down, arguably our greatest batter, we want to keep him at four and build around that rather than potentially risking too many moves in the order,” he added.

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