Steve Smith Likely to Return for Second Test Against West Indies, Confirms Coach McDonald
Australia’s premier batter Steve Smith is expected to make his return to the playing XI for the second Test against the West Indies in Grenada, as head coach Andrew McDonald provided an optimistic update on his recovery from a finger injury.
Smith suffered a compound fracture during the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s while attempting a catch off Temba Bavuma. Despite the setback, the veteran right-hander has been undergoing light training, including net sessions with a tennis ball during a brief stint in New York, and now appears to be on course for a return.
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“It’s really about functionality around the finger rather than anything else,” McDonald told ESPNcricinfo. “There’ll be no risk to the long-term health of that finger. He’ll return, and I think it’s likely he’ll play. Leading into the next game, he’ll have the main session two days out.”
If Smith is declared fit, he is set to slot back into his preferred No. 4 position in the batting order, a role in which he has excelled over the past year. Josh Inglis, who featured in the first Test, is expected to make way for Smith in the lineup.
McDonald reiterated that the team remains committed to keeping Smith at No. 4, despite discussions around the potential to move him higher in the order. “We could slide him up higher if we wanted to—he’s 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, arguably our greatest batter, we want to keep him at four and build around that,” he explained.
Smith’s availability also raises questions over Marnus Labuschagne’s immediate role in the squad. Labuschagne, who was left out of the first Test for the first time in the format since 2019, may now be released to get game time with either Glamorgan or in Australia A’s upcoming series against Sri Lanka A.
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