In a spin: Pitch mysteries leave Australia considering 140-year SCG first
Steve Smith was left lamenting the shift at his home ground as a “shame” as Australia leave a call on their final XI until Sunday’s toss.
The 36-year-old was more expansive on the state of Australia’s batting line-up, which has seen Travis Head shift from No.5 to opening this summer amid middling form from debutant Jake Weatherald, all-rounder Cameron Green and No.3 Marnus Labuschagne.
“With Usman dropping off now he’s one of our experienced players, so it probably wouldn’t be ideal if he and I went out this week,” Smith said.
Steve Smith prepares for another SCG outing.Credit: Getty Images
“I want to keep playing so don’t read into that too much. I’m still playing, I’m enjoying it, so we’ll wait and see.”
Australia won’t play another Test after Sydney until August when Bangladesh arrive for a two-Test tour in northern Australia.
From then though, the Test tour is packed with a minimum of 20 matches to be played until the return UK Ashes tour in the winter of 2027.
Australia’s return to South Africa in September looms as a pivotal campaign for Smith given it is the first tour there since Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft served suspensions for the ball-tampering scandal of 2018.
A home summer of Tests against New Zealand, followed by a bumper five-Test tour of India in February, 2027, the 150th anniversary Test against England and the Ashes present as a legacy-defining period for this Australian generation.
The World Test Championship final will also fall before the 2027 Ashes, with Australia leading the standings after a surprise upset from South Africa in the decider of the last cycle.
“I’m just enjoying my cricket, it’s fun, I feel we’ve got a really good team,” Smith said.
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“The team we’ve had over the past three or four years, making two World Test Championship finals, different people have stood up at different times, it’s never been one or two people getting the job done, it’s been shared across.
“That’s made us a really good team, so it’s been good to be a part of and as an older player now, hopefully I can help some of the players coming through and help teach them the game of Test cricket. That’s my role now.”
Smith said on Saturday morning that a final decision is yet to be made on Australia’s XI for the fifth Test, with team hierarchy wanting another look at the SCG wicket.