Smith faces ‘psychological battle’
Australia captain Tim Paine is not expecting Steve Smith to be scarred by his frightening blow to the neck as England skipper Joe Root warned the superstar batsman faces a ‘‘psychological battle’’ when he returns to the crease.
Instead of hitting high volumes of balls in the nets as he normally would on the eve of a test, a subdued Smith was seated on an esky, reduced to a mere spectator as his team-mates finalised their preparations for the crucial Headingley encounter that was scheduled to begin last night (NZ time).
The Australian camp is hopeful Smith will make his return to the field in a three-day tour game against Derbyshire starting on Wednesday next week, but the former captain would have to continue his improvement and return to full training to be available.
There are also mental challenges Smith must overcome once he is given the all-clear to resume playing.
Stuart Broad’s batting fell away markedly after being hit on the face by a bouncer from India speedster Varun Aaron.
Smith, of course, is a far more accomplished batsman than the aforementioned Broad but there would not be a player in world cricket now not aware of the danger for potentially catastrophic injuries from being hit on the head and neck by a ball at high speed.
Root gave an insight into the thought process of a batsman after they have been struck by a bumper, saying his initial feeling was one of embarrassment. Root, however, acknowledged he has not been hurt as badly as Smith.
‘‘The thing that hurts the most is your ego. You’re stood out
‘‘As a batter you pride yourself on being able to manage those deliveries but it’s like anything, it’s a psychological battle.’’
England cricket captain Joe Root, right
there in front of 35,000 people, and someone’s mugged you up a little bit, that’s how it’s felt when I’ve been hit,’’ Root said.
‘‘You pride yourself on being able to get out of the way or taking it on. I’ve got to make sure first and foremost I find a way to stay in and keep batting but don’t want to get myself into that position again. I feel they’ve got one up on me.
‘‘As a batter you pride yourself on being able to manage those deliveries but it’s like anything, it’s a psychological battle.’’
Even if no player wants to see a rival hurt, Smith can expect to be tested by the short ball more frequently by an England side that will believe it has finally uncovered a weakness in his game.
In Jofra Archer, who has the capacity to bowl lengthy spells at above the 150kmh mark, England have a bowler with the raw speed to challenge Smith in this area.
‘‘When you play against someone of his quality, you try and find a number of different ways to get him out,’’ Root said.
‘‘We felt the way Jofra bowled in that spell made for great cricket.
‘‘It was great to be on the field and be part of that. We felt like we created chances all the time.’’
Paine is confident Smith, who has made scores of 144, 142 and 92 in his three innings this series, will adjust to whatever England’s bowlers throw at him.
‘‘Steve Smith is the best player in the world, he will come back next test or the tour game – we’re expecting the same old Steve Smith,’’ Paine said.
‘‘He’s a high quality player and he’ll adapt as he always has.’’ – Sydney Morning Herald
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