Steve Smith Poised to Return for Grenada Test as Australia Eyes Series Lead

Smith Set to Bolster Australia in Grenada Test

After securing a dominant victory in the first Test in Barbados within three days, Australia may receive an additional boost with the expected return of experienced batsman Steve Smith to the squad by Sunday.

Steve Smith missed the opening Test after dislocating a finger during the WTC final © Getty

Captain Pat Cummins has confirmed that Smith has resumed batting practice following the finger dislocation he sustained during the World Test Championship Final. After the final, Smith traveled to his home in New York to continue his rehabilitation, which caused him to miss the first Test.

"He's had a few hits over in New York, which I think was with a tennis ball and an incredi-ball," Cummins stated after his team took a 1-0 lead in the series. "I think his wound is looking good, so the next stage is to come over here and hit some balls in the nets. So we'll know more over the next few days."

Despite their win, Australia's top order struggled in the first Test without Smith, particularly with Marnus Labuschagne's exclusion. In the first innings, they were struggling at 22/3, and in the second, the top four were all out with only 65 runs on the board. However, Cummins reiterated that the team management would support their younger batsmen.

"You saw today how tricky a wicket that was, there weren't too many 50-run partnerships throughout the whole game," Cummins noted. "Of course, the top order would like to score some more runs. The challenge of Test cricket, especially for young players, is when you get thrown different conditions, you've got to find a way to be effective. That's the challenge for our young batting group."

The second Test match, which will be the first ever held in Grenada, is scheduled to commence on July 3.