Smith raring to go, Khawaja expected to be fit

Southampton, July 22

Sixteen months after leaving Test cricket in disgrace over the ball-tampering furore, Steve Smith’s preparations for the Ashes have gone up to a manic level as the former skipper looks to return to red-ball cricket in top form.

Australia captain Tim Paine said former skipper Smith had given batting coach Graeme Hick long and taxing workouts in the nets as he looks to hone his formidable game ahead of the Ashes opener in Edgbaston on August 1. 

Obsessive approach

Renowned for his obsessive approach to training, Smith is back in the Test squad along with David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. “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 told reporters of Smith at the team’s training base in Southampton. 

“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 2 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,” he said.

Match days

Australia will play a four-day intra-squad match starting on Tuesday, with two sides padded out by Australia A players.  With the final Ashes squad to be named after, Paine said it would be no gentle hit in the park. Usman Khawaja, who suffered a hamstring strain during the World Cup semifinal, is being rested for the unofficial match but Paine said he was expected to be fully fit and available for selection for Edgbaston. — Reuters