Smith looking to avoid leanest Test summer

Australia opener Steve Smith is optimistic he can overcome a challenging pitch and a change of ball as he looks to avoid the 2023-24 summer becoming his roughest in the Baggy Green.

Smith, who is third on the ICC's batting rankings, has posted a best of 50 while averaging 36.16 in eight Test innings this home season – his lowest top score across a summer in his 13-and-a-half-year career. Consequently, his batting average has dropped below 58 for the first time since November 2016.

Smith addressed the media on the Gabba outfield on Wednesday afternoon, with a green-tinged pitch looming ominously behind his right shoulder and the prospect of facing a pink ball clearly foremost among his thoughts.

Having moved to opener, the man approaching 10,000 Test runs was undone on 12 in the first innings in Adelaide by a quality ball from a rookie quick. He is now better aware of the threat posed by right-arm quick Shamar Joseph, while refamiliarising himself with the nuances of a day-night Test will also pose its challenges.

But Smith has been doing as he does; trusting his process of hitting countless balls across multiple lengthy nets sessions in the three days leading into this match.

"I feel like I'm batting well and hitting the ball nicely," he said. "I thought I made some good decisions last week for a lot of the time I was out there.

"I’m going to have another hit in a little bit, but I felt good last night (in the nets). It was challenging under the lights, the ball was nipping around a bit and the brand-new balls are quite difficult to face.

"I find with the pink ball, batting at night is probably easier to see the ball … but it probably does more. In the day I find it more difficult to see, but it probably does less. So it kind of evens itself out in a way.

"I just need to be a little bit more disciplined. I've had a couple of nice balls that have just gone away from me but didn’t look like they were going away from me, but have drawn me in. I think that's one of the big parts of how I've played throughout my career – I've been pretty disciplined outside off stump.

"When I am disciplined and leaving well there, I'm batting well."

Smith said Australia have their strategies well honed for a version of the game in which they have won all 11 matches they have played. Personally, his record against the pink ball is considerably poorer than his overall one. From 10 day-night Tests, Smith averages 36.83, while he has scored first-innings ducks in each of his past two matches.

More positively for Smith is the fact he scored 130 and 63 in his only pink-ball Test at the Gabba, against Pakistan in December 2016, although the 34-year-old echoed his skipper Pat Cummins' recent suggestion that Australian pitches have becoming increasingly bowler friendly in recent seasons.

"I think you can probably see that with the scores," he said. "There are not too many 500-plus scores that we were getting three or four years ago pretty consistently. The games are ending a lot quicker as well.

"There has certainly been a lot more in it, I think. The Kookaburra balls are staying harder as well. The new balls seem to have another coat of lacquer on them. Even after 80 overs on a couple of occasions there is still writing on the ball, and you can see it still shaping and remaining reasonably hard.

"Maybe there is a balance between them (batter friendly, and bowler friendly pitches). I feel like it has been pretty hard on the batters the last few years, but it has still been fun."

NRMA Insurance Test series v West Indies

First Test: Australia won by 10 wickets

Second Test: January 25-29, Gabba (3pm AEDT)

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc

West Indies Test squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Alzarri Joseph (vc), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva, Akeem Jordan, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Zachary McCaskie