Steve Smith Back in Playing XI for 2nd Test vs West Indies, to Bat at 4th Spot

Australia Head Coach Hints at Steve Smith Return

Ahead of the 2nd Test match in Grenada, the Australian fans are hopeful of Steve Smith’s return. Recently, the Australian team's head coach, Andrew McDonald, talked about the potential inclusion of Smith in the playing XI.

McDonald was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying that Smith will return to the team and is most likely to play. “It's really about functionality around the finger rather than anything else. There'll be no risk to long-term health of that finger. He'll return and I think it's likely he'll play,” the Australian Head Coach said.

McDonald also hinted that Steve Smith will reclaim his number 4 position in the batting order upon his return to the playing XI. In the opening Test match against the West Indies, Australia's top order had trouble. In the first inning, Australia lost 5 wickets for 123 runs and 4 wickets for 65 runs in the 2nd inning.

Thus, there were discussions about playing the former Australian skipper Smith at number 3 in the batting order. That would mean the demotion of Cameron Green to the lower order.

“I'd expect Steve to resume at No. 4. In terms of why we see him as No. 4, I think we've settled on that. We could slide him up higher if we wanted to. He's been excellent at number three,” McDonald stated.

He also highlighted Smith’s achievements at number 3, “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 pointed out not the need of risking too many moves in the playing XI, “We want to keep him [Smith] at four and build around that rather than potentially risking too many moves in the order.”

Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne missed the 1st Test vs the West Indies

It must be noted that both Steve Smith and, to the surprise of many, Marnus Labuschagne were not part of the Australia Playing XI for the 1st Test. While Smith was recovering from his injury in New York, Labuschagne was not included in the playing XI despite being available.

In fact, it was only the first time that Marnus was not included in the Australia Playing XI for a Test match since 2019 unless he was injured. He is a reliable middle-order batter who has scored 4435 runs in 58 matches, averaging 46.2. It was quite surprising for many to see him not in the playing XI, and Australia's top order looked lackluster in the 1st Test.

Australia beat the West Indies in a controversial match

Australia began the 3 match Test series with a 159-run victory in the 1st match. It was a match full of controversy. Several decisions by 3rd umpire Adrian Holdstock sparked debate on social media. In the press conference, West Indies Head Coach Daren Sammy blasted the umpires for all of their decisions, which favored the visitors, Australia.

In this match, the West Indies bowlers significantly impressed. The hosts bowled out the Australians for a score of 180 runs in the first innings. Jayden Seales took a 5-fer while Shamar Joseph picked 4 wickets. However, the Carribean batters could not provide the required support and were disappointing as West Indies barely managed to take a 10-run lead.

West Indies once again got off to a flying start as they reduced Australia to 4 wickets for 65 runs. However, Travis Head, Beau Webster, and Alex Carey played some vital knocks which saw Australia score 310 runs, setting a 301-run target for the hosts. However, the West Indies were dismissed for 140 runs by the Kangaroos' Josh Hazlewood, who took 5 wickets in this inning.

Both teams will be gearing up for the crucial second match. Australia will already be looking to seal the series with a win to make it 2-0 in a 3-match series. Meanwhile, despite a resounding performance from the bowlers in the 1st Test, the batters failed to meet the expectations. Can they come back and equalize? It will be interesting to see. The second test will take place at The National Cricket Stadium in Grenada from the 3rd of July.