Man on a mission: Smith's obsessive ways ramp up

Graeme Hick has been coach of a star-studded Australia XII for a matter of days, but he might already be regretting one of the first instructions he issued.

Having used his second selection at last Friday night's intra-squad 'draft' to recruit Steve Smith to his playing ranks, Hick offered the former Test captain unlimited throw-downs to help further hone his batting skills ahead of the four-day warm-up match that starts Tuesday.

An obsessive trainer at any time, whose need to have a cricket bat in his hands was highlighted during the recent ICC World Cup, Smith has since held Hick strictly to his word.

As a result, the ex-England Test batter who will pit his outfit against a XII mentored by fellow Bupa Men's Support Team member Brad Haddin, has spent much of the past 48 hours hurling balls into a practice net where Smith has taken up residence.

Image Id: 661A3EC7F68E42228C63276853014551 Image Caption: Smith hones his craft in the nets at the Australian training camp in Southampton // Getty

Occasionally, as during this morning's session at Southampton's Aegeas Bowl, Hick will gain brief respite when Smith switches to a neighbouring net where a roster of bowlers operate, or vacates the nets altogether as other batters tune-up.

But inevitably, having spent some time sharpening his slips catching or simply rehearsing his stroke play against imaginary opponents, Smith will resume his stance at the batting crease as Hick loads and reloads the plastic 'wanger' used to replicate the pace and trajectory of fast bowlers.

Prior to his 12-month suspension from international and domestic cricket, Smith had shown an inclination to scale back the huge volume of balls he hit in the lead-up to Test matches, a training regimen that had peaked in the wake of Australia's 2015 men's World Cup win.

That was when he felt he needed to spend hours each day re-discovering his rhythm against the red ball in the lead-up to that year's Test series in the Caribbean and the UK.

Now, as the 30-year-old prepares to return to the red-ball format after a far longer hiatus, he has revisited those days of post-World Cup 2015 with a burning that is surely being shared by Hick's overworked right shoulder.

Image Id: 1997773BAA3B429BB38DCE332C1B795B Image Caption: Smith cuts a solo figure as he leaves the Aegeas Bowl after an extended training session // Getty

It has lent Smith the distinct air of a man on a mission with the first Test of the Qantas Ashes Tour of England barely a week away, and that demeanour has not been lost on the man who replaced him as Australia Test captain, Tim Paine.

"You don't become one of the best players in the world and average 60 in Test cricket if you don't have some sort of a mission," Paine, who will lead the Haddin XII in the sole warm-up fixture before the opening Test at Edgbaston, said.

"The boys have been having a bit of a laugh the last couple of days because nothing's changed - he's hit a million balls and our coach's arm is falling off already on day two of the trip.

"It's great to see that him, and David (Warner) and Cameron Bancroft have come back in and fitted perfectly in our group.

"They are guys who have always trained at exceptionally high standards and set the standard for others.

"The three of them have been outstanding since they've been back and involved."

Smith's importance to Australia's hopes of winning an Ashes series in England for the first time since 2001 is reflected in his ranking among the world's best Test batters.

He remains in fourth place on the official ICC rankings – the highest of any Australia men's Test player – despite not having played at the elite level since Cape Town in March, 2018.

But it's not only the batting acumen and fierce competitiveness that Smith harbours which Paine recognises as crucial to his team's ambitions.

The wisdom and experience that Smith has gained from the 12 Tests he's played in the UK – the most by any player in the current 25-man touring party – presents an invaluable resource for Paine given the disparate paths their respective careers have charted.

Having made their Test debuts in the same game – against Pakistan, at Lord's in July 2010 – Smith went on to play a further 63 on his way to earning the title of world's best batsman, and the highest number of ranking points (947) since Sir Donald Bradman's 961.

Image Id: 4D41B335994C4CEAB52096A669289B9F Image Caption: Tim Paine and Steve Smith prior to their Test debut at Lords in 2010 // Getty

Paine, by contrast, was beset by debilitating injuries that restricted him to four Tests across more than seven years until he was recalled for the previous Ashes campaign, in Australia during the 2017-18 summer.

He consequently becomes the first Australia men's captain to lead an Ashes tour to Britain without having previously played a Test against England on their home turf since Billy Murdoch skippered the first official (notwithstanding the Indigenous team of 1868) tour in 1880.

For that reason, Paine acknowledges he will regularly turn to Smith, as well as former vice-captain Warner, for on-field insights the pair have gleaned from their comparatively vast playing experience against the Dukes-brand ball and in English conditions.

"We get some practice games, and we get another really good one this week, but to have guys who have been here (is hugely beneficial)," Paine said today.

"David, Steve, and (fast bowler) James Pattinson has also played a lot of county cricket over here.

"We've had guys who have come on Ashes tours before and we've got our coach (Langer), our assistant coach (Hick), and (Test squad mentor) Steve Waugh.

"We've got a wealth of knowledge around playing cricket in big series in big games, and in English conditions so we're really well placed."

Another advantage that Paine believes his team holds – at least until they travel to Birmingham next weekend to finalise their first Test preparations – is the comparably low profile afforded the players in recent weeks.

Even though a number of likely Ashes representatives have been part of the Australia A squad's encounters with county and England Lions opposition, scarcely a word has been penned about them in the historically hostile British press.

That's largely because of the focus understandably trained upon England's men's team that secured their first World Cup triumph earlier this month, as well as competing sports events including Wimbledon's tennis and this week's British Open golf tournament.

However, as the spotlight turns to the Ashes immediately after England's historic Test encounter with Ireland at Lord's this week, Paine is expecting the so-far quiet build-up will disappear in a blaze of headlines.

"I think while the World Cup was on, we had a number of guys travelling around and playing in the Australia A set-up and we were able to go under the radar quite nicely, so that was good," Paine said.

"Obviously England have had a big week of celebrating and the public support for them is growing, so that makes it a really exciting time for us to be in England.

"When we get to Birmingham next week, the media intensity and scrutiny around this group will lift.

"But again, that’s something we're all looking forward to."

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Tour match: Hick XII v Haddin XII, July 23-26

First Test: Edgbaston, August 1-5

Tour match: Australians v Worcestershire, August 7-9

Second Test: Lord's, August 14-18

Third Test: Headingley, August 22-26

Tour match: Australians v Derbyshire, August 29-31

Fourth Test: Old Trafford, September 4-8

Fifth Test: The Oval, September 12-16