Smith admits he felt Test stress

I HAD TO HAVE A SLEEPING PILL LAST NIGHT He was vindicated by not enforcing the follow-on.

Steve Smith has revealed he took a sleeping pill to help him through a “tough 24 hours” before Australia sealed an ultimately comfortable win over England in Adelaide yesterday.

Fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood took seven of the 10 wickets as the Australians mopped up a 120-run victory in the second, day-night Test to take a 2-0 lead in the five-Test series.

But Smith was a man under pressure heading into the final day, with questions over his decision not to enforce the follow-on while holding a 215-run first-innings lead which allowed England back into the contest.

The tourists subsequently knocked over the Australians for 138, leaving them with a chance of chasing down a record 354-run victory target.

Smith gave an insight into the stresses he was under after England had clawed back and needed 178 runs with six wickets in hand to win going into the final day.

“I had to have a sleeping pill last night. It had been a pretty tough 24 hours,” Smith told reporters.

“It’s all part of being captain of your country. Sometimes you’re going to make the wrong decision.

“It’s all part of the learning experience and hopefully I can learn something from this game.”

But Smith was adamant he had made the right call not to put England back into bat on bowling-friendly conditions with the moving pink ball under the Adelaide Oval lights.

“I guess my rationale behind the decision was that we were a long way in front of the game,” he said.

Smith said he was conscious of protecting his star fast bowlers – Starc, Hazlewood and Pat Cummins – who have a history of injuries, with the series still alive and three Tests remaining.

“We know it’s a long summer and I think our bowlers are very valuable,” Smith added.

“Giving these guys a little bit of a rest, it always makes me confident they can come back day in, day out and do the job we need them to do.

“We also wanted to keep the England bowlers bowling. They bowled 150 overs in the first innings.

“An Ashes series is long and if you can tire their bowlers early in the series then it can make a big difference at the back end. That was also part of it.” – AFP

Picture: AFP PRIZED SCALP. Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood celebrates after dismissing England captain Joe Root on the final day of the second Ashes Test match in Adelaide yesterday.