Steve Smith, who spent time in New York to recover, has now passed the baseball cage test, where he faced hard balls and felt comfortable against the deliveries.
Smith was ruled out of the first Test due to a dislocated finger suffered during the WTC Finals 2025. He left the squad and traveled to New York from the Caribbean. There, he began batting practice by facing soft tennis balls. Once he felt comfortable, he moved to a baseball cage and started facing hard balls. The video of his session was shared with Australia’s medical staff, and the camp is reportedly pleased with his progress.
"My mate actually told me about it, which was ideal because it was pretty warm there [in New York]," he said. "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 it was pretty hot there," Smith said.
Steve Smith Set for 2nd Test Return
After his recovery stint in New York, Smith returned to the Caribbean and rejoined the squad ahead of the 2nd Test. He had his stitches removed in Grenada and started hitting balls with a splint before switching back to gloves. Notably, Smith was instructed to spend focused time in the nets starting Tuesday. If selected for the 2nd Test, Josh Inglis is expected to be benched.
"For me, it'll just feel like training as normal, I think," he said. "I don't really feel any pain or anything. [It's] just getting used to the splint and the slight limited movement. It's not too bad — I've got a lot of movement there now, so that feels good. Hitting the ball felt completely fine," Smith added.
Reflecting on the moment of his injury, Smith admitted he felt sick and noted it would be his first time fielding in front of the wicket in a Test:
"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. Fielding at either probably mid-on or mid-off or fine leg is a bit different to standing at second or first slip."
Starc Nears 400 wickets, Brathwaite Hits 100th Test
Australia and Steve Smith will travel to Grenada on Monday. This will be Australia's first match at the venue since 2008, and none of the current squad members have played there before. Similar to the first Test, the pitch is expected to challenge the batters.
Meanwhile, former Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite is set to play his milestone 100th Test, while Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc will play his 99th. Starc is also just 9 wickets away from reaching the 400-wicket mark in Test cricket.
Also Read: Top 5 Centuries Of Steve Smith in ODIs
