Steve Smith ready to take on Sri Lanka’s spin attack

Steve Smith will depend on the lessons learned from past Sri Lanka tours as he prepares to take a more aggressive approach against the Sri Lanka spinners in the upcoming two-match Test series. 

Smith is currently adapting to self-imposed restrictions regarding his training regime.

He has been forced to limit his lengthy net sessions due to his troublesome left elbow. Apart from that, he is also nursing a left quad complaint that has kept him out of action. In addition, his tennis elbow issue recently forced him to be on the sidelines, and at one point, his participation in the T20 World Cup at home was in doubt.

The Australian batter has been on the sidelines since the back-end of the ODI series after he sustained a left quad issue during the second game of the five-match series. The team didn't want to risk him with the Test series coming up. Smith is the only one on the side with a Test hundred to his name in Sri Lanka, which came way back in August 2016.

It came at that time when he was in sublime form, and it was also in the middle of Smith's remarkable six-year stretch where he scored 26 of his 27 Test centuries while averaging 73.02 across 57 matches. In that period, Smith seemed to have an answer for every bowler, and his relentless consistency earned him the tag of being one of the best batters in the world. 

But this time, the situation is slightly different for Smith, who has managed just one hundred from his past 17 Tests.

Against Pakistan in March, he scored a fifty thrice in the three-match Test series, only to be dismissed twice on 59. In all three innings, Smith's strike rate was between 33-39. Moreover, during the last 17 Tests, his strike rate of 42.55 is some 15 runs fewer than that of his golden period, when it was 57.30.

The dip in form is something Smith has identified and is currently working on. 

"I probably had three opportunities to get hundreds in Pakistan, I just didn't quite convert them," Smith told cricket.com.au's The Unplayable Podcast. "I feel like my plans were in a pretty decent place, but I could've potentially been a bit more aggressive against the spin over there, and played a few more shots,"

"But I was also batting at stages where the ball was reversing quite big and I know as a batter coming in next, it's probably the toughest thing to face – a reversing ball on those kinds of wickets against some good bowlers in (Shaheen) Afridi and Hasan Ali,"

He continued: "So it's playing the game and being patient and playing the tempo, which we spoke a lot about in Pakistan; against the new ball you can play a few more shots, like I did in the third Test when I got in a little bit earlier, and got some boundaries away early,"

"But then when the ball gets a bit softer, it's reversing, you have to rein it back in until you get your moment to go a bit more aggressive. But against the spin, I know I've got a few more shots that I can potentially bring out and put a bit more pressure back on the bowler,"

Steve Smith scored 119 in the third Test in 2016, and Shaun Marsh's 130 at the SSC Ground in Colombo helped Australia register their highest score of the series; they eventually lost three-nil. Smith will now look to utilise his previous experience on what is likely to be a spinning track in Galle next week.

"Having a plan, and trusting it from the start (is crucial) – not getting yourself to face 20 balls before implementing the plan, you have to do it straightaway, otherwise you can be sitting back in the shed. I think (I improved) my understanding of the (spinning) ball and the square seam and what the ball can do (on such surfaces)," 

"I probably learned most in my first two Tests there where I didn't get any runs, and then got a hundred and (learned by) spending a fair bit of time out in the middle in that third Test. From there, I think my subcontinent form probably got better and better, so it's a great learning experience, playing on these kinds of wickets," he further added.

However, Smith has retained his place despite his poor showing since the 2019 Ashes (averaging 39.88 in that 17-Test period). 

It is also noteworthy that Marnus Labuschagne has come into the team recently and batted impressively at number three.

"Obviously Marnus (Labuschagne, at number three) has come into the team and he's been scoring a lot of runs as well, so I'm sitting back in the shed for longer than I potentially was beforehand, which is great. And there's been some different fields set where at times I feel like they're actually not even trying to get me out." 

"So whilst it might not (result in) me scoring a lot of the runs, it's still (opponents) bowling a lot of balls and getting some miles into (their) legs, and you might see someone else after me being able to come out and score a bit more freely when the bowlers are more tired. So it's not the worst thing for the team's point of view," Steve Smith stated.

"Of course, I'd love to be scoring more hundreds, but I've still been batting some good time … (opponents) have bowled differently and a bit more defensive at stages, but you've still got to just play the game and adapt to whatever they're coming at, which I don't think I've done poorly," 

"But maybe (I need to be) just finding some more ways to get off strike or get a boundary away to change what they're thinking and where they're bowling. As I alluded to, I can potentially put a bit more pressure back on the bowler at stages – I've probably been a little bit defensive at times. And whilst I've spent a lot of time in the middle in a lot of the games, my strike-rate's probably not as high," he further added.

"I probably am batting less at the moment than I have before, just with my elbow and trying to ensure that it doesn't get to the place where it got to previously, which is hard for someone like me. I just love batting and getting big volume and that's how I kind of get in the rhythm, so it is a bit different, but I've got to strike the right balance to ensure that I'm giving myself every chance to play as many games as possible," Steve Smith concluded.

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner

June 29 - July 3: First Test, Galle, 2.30 pm AEST

July 8-12: Second Test, Galle, 2.30 pm AEST