Grenada Test could see potential Steve Smith return with Josh Inglis likely to make way from the playing group.
Smith on track to return and reclaim No. 4 spot in Grenada Test.
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 victory 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 been netted against a tennis ball and a “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 said. “There’ll be no risk to 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.
“He’ll [also] train the day before [the match]. If that all goes well, then I’d expect Steve to resume at No. 4.”
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 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.”
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 said. “I think we’ve done that with the fast bowlers over time. We’ve sent Scott Bowling back from India. So if we feel as though we’re carrying too many, we’ll look for game time.
“[But] it’s a long way for players to get here as well. If we release someone and then someone has to come in late, then it’s a big journey. So we’ve just got to balance that out.”