New Delhi: Australian batter Steve Smith is confident that he will be ready to return in the second Test against the West Indies in Grenada after making steady progress in his recovery from a finger injury.
The 36-year-old missed the first Test in Barbados after dislocating his right little finger during the World Test Championship final at Lord’s but avoided surgery and has been working carefully to regain full movement.
Smith found an unusual but effective way to continue his preparations while recovering, using a baseball batting cage in New York to face throwdowns in a shaded spot under a bridge. Starting with tennis and soft cricket balls, he gradually moved to facing hard balls and sent videos of his sessions to Australia’s medical staff in Barbados, who were pleased with his progress.
Smith told, “My mate actually told me about it, which was ideal because it was pretty warm there. Underneath this bridge there was a batting cage, and he was able to throw me a few balls there, so it was good to be in the shade.”
Since returning to the Caribbean, Smith has had his stitches removed and has been fitted with a slimmer splint to make wearing batting gloves easier. He expects to have his first full net session against bowlers on Tuesday in Grenada.
“For me, it’ll just feel like training as normal, I think,” he said. “I don’t really feel any pain or anything, just getting used to the splint on and the slight limited movement.”
Ready to slot back in
Smith is confident he will be ready to play at No. 4 in the second Test which would likely mean Josh Inglis dropping out after a quiet outing in the first match. While Smith will need to adjust his fielding position due to the splint, he expects batting to be unaffected.
“Its all feeling good.”
Steve Smith appears ready to return, but there might be a strange aspect he’ll have to adjust to in the field: https://t.co/0s6pZwN3gY pic.twitter.com/qtX5x53Q2N
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) June 30, 2025
“Fielding some balls in front of the wicket will probably be the strangest thing for me. I don’t think I’ve ever done that in a Test match,” Smith said with a smile.
Backing the young batters
Smith also took the opportunity to back Australia’s young top-order players after a challenging outing in Barbados where Sam Konstas and Cameron Green found runs hard to come by on a testing pitch.
“These guys are good players,” Smith said. “We just need to give them an opportunity. It doesn’t always happen straight away, but they have good talent and bright futures.”
Australia will now shift their focus to Grenada, aiming to build on their series lead as Smith looks to slot back into the team and strengthen their batting for the second Test starting Thursday.