Australia's Steve Smith previews World test final against South Africa
09/06/2025
Lord's Cricket ground, London, UK
09/06/2025
Lord's Cricket ground, London, UK
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00:00Thanks everyone so much for the invitation.
00:02We'll get started as some of the people are going to become a new student.
00:07Cole, would you like to take a look?
00:09No, no, I think that's one.
00:11Everyone knows this person's standing on my left, so we'll just get on the way if he wants to get us.
00:15There's our microphone over there.
00:24Steve, a lot of the talk going into this match has been about how it's going to be a battle
00:29between the bowling.
00:30You know, I think there's been a lot of that.
00:32But as a batter, I mean, how do you feel about that?
00:34How are the batters placed going into this?
00:37Well, I know how our team is.
00:39We've been training really well the last week or so.
00:42Yeah, all the batters feel like they're in a good place.
00:44So now just excited to go out and play.
00:48You know, another Test Championship final.
00:51We've got some fond memories, obviously, of last year just down the road.
00:54So coming here to Lourdes, it's a place we traditionally play pretty good cricket.
00:58So, yeah, we're excited about the prospect of coming up against South Africa with the Duke
01:04sports, obviously different to what we traditionally have with our home and away games.
01:09So, you know, there's a difference there.
01:11But, yeah, we're excited about this contest.
01:14Steve, any decisions that you're aware of being made about the team make-up?
01:21And, you know, what do you think they sort of, I guess, the final things are that need
01:26to be crossed off before those are made?
01:28Yeah, I'm not sure on the team.
01:30I'm sure Paddy will give that to you tomorrow.
01:33But, you know, we've got plenty of options.
01:35I think the batters in particular, I've been watching them.
01:39Everyone's hitting the ball really nicely.
01:40So there's some good competition for spots, which is always what you want.
01:43So, yeah, everyone's ready and chomping at the bit to get out there.
01:48And what did you make of the pitch, Steve?
01:50It seemed possibly a bit drier than what we've seen here in the past.
01:54Do you think, you know, Nathan Lyon and Spin could also play a part?
01:57Yeah, I think Spin will play a big part, particularly as the game wears on.
02:01It is dry.
02:03I think the reports, obviously, we only came here a week ago,
02:06but I think it's been pretty high to start the season over here.
02:09There hasn't been too much rain, which can be rare for England, obviously.
02:13But, yeah, it does look like quite a dry surface.
02:17And I think the footmarks will definitely come into play as the game wears on.
02:22Steve, is there any difference in approach when you're batting three or four?
02:27Not particularly.
02:29Yeah, no real difference when I was opening to four either.
02:32It was the same sort of thing.
02:34It's just a position.
02:36You know, you could be facing the brand new ball batting at four.
02:39You could lose two bigots in the first over or, you know, yeah.
02:44No real difference.
02:45And one other thing, batting at Lourdes.
02:47Is there something special about batting at Lourdes?
02:49You put in some of your great performances here.
02:51It seems like it's the big stage.
02:54Yeah, it's a nice place to bat.
02:57I've, you know, personally had a little bit of success here.
02:59So, you know, it takes a little bit of time getting used to the slope.
03:03One end you feel like you're falling over a little bit.
03:05The other end you feel quite tall.
03:07So, yeah, it takes a couple of deliveries just to get used to that from both ends, I think, each time you play out here.
03:14But you certainly get value for your shots, particularly hitting the ball down the hill.
03:19The ball seems to race away, so it can be a nice wicket to bat on, as we've seen over the years as well.
03:25So, and that can change, obviously, with overheads.
03:28If there's a bit of cloud in the air and the ball's swinging around and moving around, it can get tricky.
03:33So, you know, I think batting on the surface, it's about just summing it up and playing what's in front of you
03:39and being able to adapt accordingly when conditions change.
03:43Because playing in England, they can change quickly.
03:48Steve, you've had success against South Africa and also had some controversial moments.
03:53But what do you make of them coming into this?
03:56Is there still that kind of traditional niggle?
03:58Is there a bit more friendliness between the sides?
04:00What do you make of the relationship between the two teams?
04:02It's pretty relaxed, I think.
04:05Yeah, we're obviously playing in a big game.
04:07I think both teams deserve to be here for the Test Championship final.
04:12You know, they've got a really good side.
04:14You know, particularly their bowling attack, led by Robata, who's obviously record speaks for itself
04:19and some other quality performers around.
04:21I think Marco Jansen's, you know, a quality performer.
04:24And Giddy's done it for a while.
04:26And there's some other options there that can do a really good job as well with a good spinner in Maharaj.
04:31So, yeah, the batters are going to have their work cut out for them.
04:36But we're all prepared and ready to play.
04:39You said that they deserve to be here.
04:40There's obviously been a lot of talk about who deserves to be here tonight.
04:43Is that something that you pay attention to?
04:45Do you look at the teams and think, yeah, South Africa are one of the top sides they belong in?
04:49Yeah, they're a good side, yeah.
04:51They're here for a reason.
04:52I don't know how all the system works with the percentages and what have you.
04:56But they're here.
04:57They're in the top two.
04:58And they're a good side.
04:59Steve, you mentioned your good record here at Lord's.
05:02Last time you were here, it was an eventful game against England in the Ashes.
05:06What sort of perception are you guys expecting from the members?
05:11Unsure and I'm actually not fussed either way.
05:14And in terms of the Ashes, England are very open about the fact that they are building towards that.
05:21That is their focus.
05:22That is their goal.
05:23Is it the same for you guys?
05:25Or now with this new Test Championship, has it superseded the Ashes?
05:29Where does it...?
05:31I mean, the Ashes is a big series, but you also can't look too far ahead.
05:35You've got to keep playing each game as it comes.
05:37And every game is important with the Test Championship on the line, I suppose.
05:42That's the reason it came in, to make every Test more relevant, I suppose.
05:46So, yeah, we've got to look at every game we play.
05:50You know, we go to the West Indies next week after this game and we've got a series there.
05:54So, that'll be our next focus after this game.
05:57You've obviously won, you know, had a lot of success in your career.
06:01Where does winning this tournament, you know, the last time around rate mean to win it again?
06:07Yeah, I mean, it was right up there.
06:09You know, it was kind of the...it's only pretty new, the Test Championship.
06:14And, you know, all the stuff I said before around relevance for every game, I think is really good.
06:19So, yeah, it was great to be able to win a Test Championship final and to be back here again and have the opportunity to defend our crown, I suppose.
06:28It's, yeah, it's satisfying.
06:31I think we've had a really good team for four years now.
06:34We've played some really good cricket along the way.
06:36Yeah, we deserve the opportunity to defend our crown this week.
06:40Steve?
06:41Steve, obviously played in a lot of big games individually.
06:46How has your preparation evolved from the start of your career to now?
06:51Good question.
06:55I try and keep it as consistent as I can.
06:57You know, I probably tend to, if I'm hitting the ball well, hit a little bit less than I would if I'm hitting it poorly.
07:03So, you know, I've had a good break.
07:06I've had a couple of months off and had my first hit the other day and everything sort of clicked into place immediately.
07:11So, you know, I haven't had to work as hard as I thought I would have had to do this week, if that makes sense.
07:16So, I feel in a good place and, yeah, ready to get out and play.
07:21Have you got your hands?
07:22My hands are here, yeah.
07:25They're good.
07:28Steve, you mentioned sort of why the Test Championship came in to make tests more relevant.
07:32There were some figures sort of floating around the other day about batting becoming harder in the six years since it was introduced and bowling becoming easier.
07:39Perhaps teams sort of playing to win and get sort of points that way.
07:42Do you feel that batting has become harder in the six years?
07:45In the six years since the World Test?
07:48Oh, sorry.
07:49I thought you said the six years.
07:52I think particularly for top order batters, it's as tricky as I've seen in my career.
08:00I think they changed the ball, the Kookaburra in particular.
08:06I probably can't speak as much for the Dukes ball, but the Kookaburra back home where we play and where we play a lot of games.
08:13I think the seams are a lot bigger and you mix that in with the grass that's been on the wickets probably the last four or five years.
08:20It's kind of the perfect storm in a way.
08:23So, yeah, it's certainly tricky to bat up top, although the first probably 20 overs.
08:30And then the ball seems to stay hard, so I think guys batting it, and it probably matches a lot of the stats around the world.
08:37I reckon guys batting it six, seven, even eight can come in while that ball's still quite hard and the ball just comes off the bat probably more than it used to.
08:44It probably softened up and it was probably more difficult to score.
08:48So, yeah, it's tricky batting up top at the moment, that's for sure.
08:57This is obviously a one-off test match. Usually you play a series.
09:03Would you ever like to see this played more than one match or would you like it one-off?
09:09Good question. I haven't thought too much about it.
09:14Yeah, I mean, maybe like a three-match series or something like that would be good, but good luck fitting it in the schedule.
09:20It's pretty jam-packed as it is, so it might be tricky, but yeah, I think if you could do something like that, it'd be pretty cool as well.
09:30Steve, you spoke about the Kookaburra and how it's changed. I mean, you've faced the Dukes a lot in your career.
09:37Is there any adjustment at all? Because it can often swing a lot like a little later when probably number four walks out.
09:43So, what has it been like? And also you're up against a team who aren't used to using the Dukes as much as the English who you generally face here.
09:51Yeah, I think it's playing what's in front of you. I think the ball can certainly swing around for longer.
09:59And I think for me as a batter, it's about using the swing, going with it.
10:06If it's going away from me, like being able to go square or with the ball and sort of go with the swing.
10:12Same sort of coming back down the line. You want to go with the swing.
10:16Particularly at Lourdes, you want to go with the slope and the swing as well.
10:19You can throw the two together. But yeah, you know, I enjoy playing against the Dukes ball.
10:26I think there's always sort of something going on. There's always something going off for the bowlers.
10:31Particularly if the clouds roll in.
10:33And then when the clouds are out, it can be really nice to bat.
10:36So, it's a cool game playing here in England.
10:40I enjoy the sort of intricacies of, you know, what you need to do at certain periods of the game.
10:45Whether you need to tighten things up or get a bit more aggressive and things like that.
10:49So, yeah, should be a fun week this week.
10:52One more to you guys.
10:54Steve, you've played South Africa for the best part of a decade.
10:57When you get involved in a contest against them, what's the feature of that side that you always,
11:03that's always confronting you basically?
11:06I mean, it's always a good challenge.
11:09I think South Africa have been a good cricket side for a long period of time.
11:13And we've had some nice encounters against each other, you know, in Australia and South Africa.
11:19So, it's going to be different being here at Lord's.
11:21Which is, you know, another challenge and one we're looking forward to.
11:24So, yeah, should be a good week of cricket.
11:27Hopefully entertaining for everyone that turns up.
11:30I think the ticket sales have been pretty good from what I've heard.
11:32So, hopefully we can put on a good show.
11:35And we're just going to go.
11:37Thanks.
11:39I guess we find people saying,
11:42how do you hire our next week?
11:43Neil .
11:44Hello, mate .
11:47Thank you now.
11:50And it was ...
11:56.
12:03Yeah.