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Smith again finds his best in the west

Much like in late 2013, the Western Australian capital has again played host to Steve Smith unlocking the best of his immense batting talent

As a conspicuous adherent to the power of habit, Steve Smith would well know how influential Test matches in Perth have proved to the evolution of his batting.

It was at the city's former cricket home of the WACA Ground in the summer of 2013-14 when the intensive work he'd undertaken with Australia's then batting coach Michael di Venuto (who recently returned to that role with the men's team) that set him on his most productive runs scoring spree.

Until the start of that famous summer, in which a rejuvenated Australia outfit stormed to an Ashes clean sweep, Smith had struggled to realise the batting talent he so clearly possessed until it came to flower with his maiden century on home turf at the WACA.

That innings unlocked a remarkable spree of runs scoring that yielded a further 24 Test tons across the next six years including a high watermark of 239 when the hapless England bowlers returned to Perth in the similarly one-sided Ashes contest of 2017-18.

But when Test cricket shifted to Perth's new stadium on the opposite bank of the Swan River in 2018, so too did Smith's batting fortunes undergo a marked change and it was the day-night Test in the Western Australian capital in late 2019 that effectively heralded that watershed.

Even though he didn't recognise it at the time, it was a novel plan of attack fashioned by New Zealand's left-arm seamer Neil Wagner that seemingly alerted opposition bowlers to a chink in Smith's previously impervious armour.

Smith, Labuschagne pass 200 in mammoth Aussie total

Wagner is an acknowledged master of the skidding bouncer, and by realising Smith's extravagant movement across the crease made him vulnerable to – or certainly potentially restricted by – a barrage of balls directed at his left shoulder, he found a way the run glut could be quelled.

Over the ensuing three years, Smith's output was slowed to the point he managed just two centuries – against India at the SCG in early 2020, and Sri Lanka at Galle several months ago – before significant changes to his technique in recent weeks has enabled him to revisit his golden phase.

"I probably didn't notice it straight away, I've only noticed it in the last six to 12 months that I wanted to get back to how I was batting in 2013-14," Smith said after day two of the opening NRMA Insurance Test against West Indies where he posted his first double century since Old Trafford in 2019.

'I was a lot more side-on there, I was pulling balls in front of square like I was out there in this innings (today), and when I'm doing that, I'm getting myself into good positions.

"I felt as though, for a few years there, my hands were so far around the bat and closed, and I was getting front-on with my chest and all I could really do was help them on their way behind square rather than use power in front of square.

'That was essentially it, but I'm certainly in much better positions."

Smith details reasons behind his technique tweak

That thesis was supported by Australia's most prolific Test century maker Ricky Ponting who, with 41 tons to his name, is one of only three players with more triple-figure scores in the Baggy Green Cap than Smith's new benchmark of 29.

The other two ahead of him are Steve Waugh (32) and Matthew Hayden (30), with Smith now on the same number as the Test game's statistically most successful batter, Don Bradman.

Ponting was watching from the television commentary box today as Smith's revised technique netted him an unbeaten 200 (from 311 balls faced) and he noted the tweaks made to the right-hander's idiosyncratic technique contrasted sharply to the foibles Wagner looked to exploit.

“This is against New Zealand a couple of years ago – (against) Neil Wagner – look at his movements," Ponting said on Channel Seven as he compared footage of Smith circa 2019 to the current version.

"He gets a long way back and across. Very open with his body.

"When you have all the weight back early, it's impossible to move again.

"All you can do is react to the line of the ball.

"All he could do was hit the ball behind square on the leg-side.

"That's a dangerous position to get in."

Ponting went on to point out that the secret to playing successful pull shots was to begin with weight on the front foot, and then make contact with the ball from outside the line of the body which allows a batter to hit the ball forward of square leg.

It also permits greater freedom to pick the areas on the on-side where the ball travels, ideally into gaps in the field which was a demonstrable strength in Smith's breakthrough innings today.

Image Id: FFCCCA57BD9248EC80C2B1A4FDE630FE Image Caption: Smith’s innings included 16 boundaries // Getty

Ponting claimed the changes Smith has implemented to his technique have not only enhanced his already proficient capacity to score through the on-side, it was a necessary shift given the upcoming NRMA Insurance Series against South Africa that immediately follows the West Indies campaign.

And given the Proteas’ imposing battery of fast bowlers, they would doubtless revisit Wagner's short-ball strategy if Smith had not implemented the changes.

From Smith's perspective, while the tweaks have yielded results in recent weeks, he knows the new plotting by rivals has already begun and his fresh challenge is to stay ahead of them.

"This game always demands you to be looking to improve," he said.

'Teams come up with plans against you, they obviously see a lot of footage and it's about being on top of what they're trying to do to you and being better than them on that given day.

"For me, teams have gone to slightly different plans over the last two years which probably matched up with the way I was batting.

"Hopefully the way I'm batting now, it doesn't match up quite as well.

"That's my plan.

"It worked today I suppose, and I hope it keeps working."

Men's NRMA Insurance Test Series v West Indies

Nov 30 – Dec 4: First Test, Perth Stadium, 1:20pm AEDT

Dec 8-12: Second Test, Adelaide Oval, 3pm AEDT (day-night)

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

West Indies squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Devon Thomas

Buy #AUSvWI Test tickets here