Steve Smith has officially returned to Australia's playing XI for the second Test against the West Indies, starting July 3 in Grenada, after recovering from a dislocated finger sustained during the World Test Championship final. He replaces Josh Inglis in the lineup.
Smith, who missed the first Test in Barbados due to the injury, accelerated his recovery by training in a baseball batting cage in New York, where he focused on movement and timing in a shaded setup under a bridge—an unconventional but effective approach.
Although fully fit to bat, Smith’s fielding role has been modified. Captain Pat Cummins stated Smith will avoid slip fielding when the pace bowlers are operating to minimise re-injury risk, though he may field there when spin is in play.
Cummins praised Smith’s adaptability in unfamiliar conditions:
“That’s one of his great strengths — he’s scored runs all over the world… he seems to work out pretty quickly what needs to be done.”
Australia are playing at St George’s Park in Grenada for the first time in Test history. The venue has hosted just four Tests to date, the most recent being West Indies’ 10-wicket win over England in 2022 on a pace-friendly pitch.
🇦🇺 Australia XI for 2nd Test:
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Usman Khawaja
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Sam Konstas
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Cameron Green
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Steve Smith
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Travis Head
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Beau Webster
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Alex Carey (wk)
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Pat Cummins (c)
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Mitchell Starc
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Nathan Lyon
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Josh Hazlewood
Australia lead the two-match series 1-0, having won the first Test by 159 runs.
