Bridgetown, June 29 (IANS) Steven Smith is on course to be available for Australia鈥檚 second Test against the West Indies in Grenada, following the compound dislocation he sustained during the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord鈥檚.
Smith spent the past week in New York, where he resumed batting using a tennis ball and an 鈥渋ncredi-ball鈥 (a soft cricket training ball), before rejoining the squad in Barbados on Saturday evening after their three-day win in the opening Test.
He still has to complete a few medical protocols, with Tuesday鈥檚 training session in Grenada set to be a decisive one. However, head coach Andrew McDonald is confident Smith will be fit to return at No. 4, a move that will likely see Josh Inglis make way in the playing XI.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really about functionality around the finger rather than anything else. There鈥檒l be no risk to long-term health of that finger. He鈥檒l return and I think it鈥檚 likely he鈥檒l play. Leading into the next game, he鈥檒l have the main session two days out. He鈥檒l (also) train the day before (the match). If that all goes well, then I鈥檇 expect Steve to resume at No. 4,鈥 McDonald said.
The Australian head coach also made it clear that Smith, if returns, will not change his batting spot from No. 4 despite low returns from Cameron Green at No. 3.
鈥淚n terms of why we see him as No. 4, I think we鈥檝e settled on that. We could slide him up higher if we wanted to. He鈥檚 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,鈥 McDonald said.
Australia won the opening Test of the three-match series in Barbados by 159 runs to start their new WTC cycle on high. The second Test of the series will be played in Grenada from July 3.