Australia are in a pretty good position, despite not getting a big total: Steve Smith

India Today

Star Australia batter Steve Smith is delighted with his team's position in the WTC Final 2025 against South Africa at the end of Day 1, despite not having enough runs on the board. South Africa are reeling at 43/4 at the end of Day 1 in reply to Australia's first innings score of 212.

Transcript

00:00Steve, how do you think you're placed after a pretty eventful first day?

00:05I think we're in a good spot.

00:09We've probably had a few missed opportunities with the bat to try and get a bigger total,

00:15but I think the wickets offered something all day, as we've seen.

00:19And we're in a pretty good position, 169 in front.

00:23What are they? Four down.

00:25So yeah, we're in a decent spot.

00:27Hopefully it does a little bit in the morning like it did today.

00:30So it could have been a better day, but we're still in a nice position.

00:35How did it feel out there for you personally after a bit of a break?

00:39Felt good. Yeah, felt in a nice place.

00:43Yeah, I love batting here at Lord's.

00:46Yeah, enjoyed my time out there while I was out there.

00:49And yeah, left a few in the shed, unfortunately.

00:52Steve, do you know if you guys were going to bat first or bowl first?

00:57Yeah, I think we were going to bat.

00:59Did the way the wicket play, it looked like you guys came out a bit more intent after lunch

01:03and sort of a few more shots flown?

01:06Is that sort of the way to go on that?

01:07And how did you sort of see the wicket, I guess?

01:09I didn't feel like it had more intent.

01:14It was more just, I think we got a few more loose balls that we could put away.

01:17Yeah, it felt quite tricky.

01:20The wicket felt like it was doing enough all day.

01:23A little bit too paced, probably a little bit on the slower side

01:26and then one kind of zing through if that makes sense to you.

01:29But yeah, it offered something all day, I think, even with the older ball

01:34the last few wickets that Rabada got.

01:37It felt like when I got out, it got a little bit softer,

01:40but it still offered something at that point.

01:42So yeah, hopefully it's the same in the morning.

01:45Steve, what have you made of the way that Bo Webster's attacked his opportunity

01:49in the team and the way he batted today?

01:52He's done a terrific job.

01:54I think he was pretty annoyed at his first 30 balls today.

01:57Didn't feel like he could spell bat for a little bit there.

01:59But, you know, things can turn around really quickly in England

02:02and I think playing in England actually suits him.

02:06The way he scores his runs, he scores really square of the wicket.

02:09So when the ball's swinging around, it suits him.

02:12He gets it on the top of the bounce, being tall.

02:14And yeah, like I said, he defends nice and straight and scores really square,

02:18which I think is a good trade in England.

02:21And did you have a good look at the LBW appeal that they sort of had in England?

02:26And were you surprised they didn't?

02:30I heard it was out. Is that right? Yeah.

02:32It looked pretty good to me from the other end.

02:35I don't know what actually happened there.

02:38I know Bo was in a little bit of pain.

02:40I don't think it actually hit his pad.

02:41I think it just hit his leg.

02:43Someone said they saw a rubata shape to say he might have hit it.

02:49Certainly didn't look like that from my view.

02:52But yeah, I was surprised they didn't appeal more.

02:55I don't think many people really went up, to be honest.

02:58Where I was, I was like, geez, that looks pretty good.

03:00But they, yeah, they had a chance to use a referral and didn't.

03:07Put your hand right up.

03:12So what did, what was the discussion after you were out,

03:15before you went out to bowl?

03:16Did you have a chat?

03:17Was there a bit of a pad to give some words before you went back out to bowl?

03:21Just to keep it simple.

03:22Just try and hit good areas for long periods.

03:25And yeah, hit the top of the stumps, I think.

03:28Excuse me.

03:30Oh, dear.

03:35There's been a, yeah, obviously there was a bit on offer.

03:38A little bit of variable bounce, as we saw.

03:40You know, we were standing really close at slip.

03:43And we had a couple still not get to us.

03:46So a little bit of variable bounce and a bit of sideways movement.

03:50So, yeah, it was, I was basically just keep it really simple.

03:52Hit the top of the stumps and challenge the defense.

03:56Steve, just a word on, on Rabada.

03:58You faced him quite a lot.

03:59This might sound strange, but what makes him good?

04:02Cause he's not particularly fast.

04:04He doesn't really move it around.

04:05He doesn't really have like something like unique about him,

04:07but he obviously gets a lot of wickets and he's very good.

04:09What, what is it about him?

04:11I wouldn't say he doesn't move it around.

04:13Yeah.

04:14I think he's got good skills.

04:15He, yeah, he can shape the ball away.

04:17He can nibble it both ways.

04:19Um, he's relentless.

04:21He's always at you.

04:22Um, you know, he's always up for the challenge.

04:24He charges in all day and, um, you know,

04:27his record speaks for itself, doesn't it?

04:29Um, he's a quality bowler and showed that again today.

04:32Um, Steve, is there anything you learned from your lesson today

04:36that you might, uh, do differently, uh, in the second innings,

04:39if you can, when you get a bat in the second innings?

04:41Don't nick the part-time off spinner.

04:43Down the slope.

04:44I'm still trying to fathom how I've done that.

04:45Um, but yeah, don't do that.

04:46Um, and then, nah, I don't know.

04:47Just play, play what's in front of us.

04:48You know, might take a bit more spin as the game wears on.

04:49It's pretty dry.

04:50Um, I don't know.

04:51Um, I don't know.

04:52I don't know.

04:53Um, I don't know.

04:54Um, and then, nah, I don't know.

04:56Just play, play what's in front of us.

04:57You know, might take a bit more spin as the game wears on.

05:00It's pretty dry.

05:01Um, I don't know.

05:03The seam might go down as the game goes on as well, potentially.

05:06So, uh, I think the bounce is going to be variable throughout the game

05:11as we've seen already on day one.

05:12So, nah, just, just play what's in front of us.

05:15And yeah, hopefully we can get a few early ones in the morning

05:19and, uh, sort of go through them and have a bit of a lead.

05:22Uh, that's the ideal scenario for us right now.

05:25Steve, last time you were here for a test match, obviously,

05:28you came up against a batting side that came at you a little bit harder

05:31than, uh, than perhaps happened today.

05:33Were you surprised by how South Africa let you guys bowl to them

05:38a bit in the way they did?

05:39I thought the guys bowled pretty well, to be fair.

05:41Um, it's not the easiest surface to just come out and try and wallop it either.

05:45Um, and I think the couple of times we actually,

05:48they went at it and tried to drive the ball.

05:51We got the edges.

05:52So, a couple of them played quite nicely when they were late

05:55and, um, defending under their eyes.

05:57It was pretty, um, you know, difficult to get out,

06:00I suppose, for them at that stage.

06:02So, um, yeah, it's the kind of wicked, I think,

06:05where, yeah, you've got to be solid in defence

06:07and then when you get a loose ball, pounce on it.

06:09Um, that's key.

06:10So, uh, no, the boys bowled really well tonight.

06:13And in terms of how the ball, um, is the ball, do you sense it's going softer?

06:18Obviously, you guys had a tough time at the top of your innings getting through it.

06:21Do you think getting through the first 20 odd overs makes a big difference?

06:24Yeah, what, what are we at?

06:2820 something right now?

06:30I'd say probably 40 maybe it gets a bit softer.

06:33Um, it's kind of general in every game almost in that we play.

06:38Um, particularly because of the surface is a little bit abrasive as well.

06:41Uh, but even when it got soft, Bo was out there at that stage

06:46and he said it was still offering something as well.

06:48So, you know, that might change as the game goes on, but, um, yeah,

06:52it was a day one wicket, but, um, we'll see.

06:59Steve, it probably feels like a long time ago, but, uh, Manus in, in the opening role,

07:03um, how do you alter his expectations given the trickiness of the conditions

07:08and what was the sort of pass mark for, for him in that role today?

07:13I thought he started pretty well today.

07:15Uh, he looked really sharp in his movements.

07:17Uh, he left really nicely.

07:18He was solid in defence and he, um, played some really good shots.

07:22So, yeah, I think, yeah, it would have been nice to have gone on and made a few more

07:27as it would have been for all of us out there.

07:28But, um, you know, I think we can take some positives on the way he was moving

07:32and the way he was playing.

07:38Steve, were you guys surprised at all?

07:41I guess the way the surface played relative to how it looked.

07:44You know, it looked, you know, it looked pretty, I guess, straw coloured,

07:47but were you expecting it to do a bit before the game?

07:52I feel day one here, it always offers a little bit of something, even when it looks, um, you know,

07:58the colour of the wicket was quite white.

08:00It wasn't a green wicket, I suppose, um, that you see.

08:03But, you know, I've seen one day wickets we've played here where it's been similar

08:07and it's actually seemed quite a bit, um, particularly with the newer ball.

08:11So, uh, I always feel like it offers something, um, particularly early on in the game.

08:18As the grass dies down, I think it's going to offer less.

08:20But, um, I wasn't too surprised that it was offering what it did.

08:24I thought it would be pretty slow, given how dry it looked.

08:27Um, yeah, kind of played as I thought it would, in a way.

08:31Um, Steve, Alex Carey would have been disappointed with that drop catch.

08:36Um, was there anything, sort of, do you think that happened there that, I guess,

08:41threw him out of his normal, um, position for catching that?

08:45And how did he kind of react afterwards?

08:48Because, I suppose, not an easy thing.

08:49Yeah, he was fine after.

08:50I think it was just one of those ones that just swung a little bit on him,

08:53which can happen with the Jukes ball.

08:55Um, you know, you quite often see the ball go past the bat and it's swing late.

08:59Um, it was one of those ones that just swung a little bit on him

09:02and got himself in a bit of an awkward position with where it got to at his chest, I suppose.

09:07Um, yeah, it's a tricky place to catch behind the wicket sometimes when the ball does that.

09:12And, you know, he's been keeping so well, um, the last two years.

09:16So, you know, we're all allowed to drop him every now and again.

09:19Uh, Steve, just obviously, you know, when you talk about Mitch, Pat and Josh,

09:24uh, do you know how good they are? They've proved it over a long time.

09:27But just the fact that at this stage of their career,

09:29they are able to bowl 6-7 over spells, uh, on warmish days and keep that intensity up.

09:35Like, what kind of a luxury is that, especially on a day where probably you didn't get the kind of total you wanted?

09:40Yeah, they've done it for a long time, haven't they?

09:43And, yeah, today was no different.

09:45I thought they all bowled really nicely.

09:47Uh, you know, when you know you've only got, um, a couple of hours to bowl, uh, in the night,

09:53you know, you can probably give a little bit more knowing you can have a break afterwards.

09:57And the boys bowled a couple of long spells.

09:59Um, you know, it wasn't too warm out there, so that was nice.

10:02It was a pretty good temperature, which always helps.

10:05But, uh, yeah, they keep coming again and again.

10:08And, you know, I've done it for a long time.

10:09And, you know, I looked up today and kind of forget every now and again Stark.

10:15He's played 97 tests, this one.

10:17Um, which is a, you know, a hell of an effort for a fast bowler.

10:20Um, you know, he's just relentless with his body.

10:23And, um, you know, he's a tough character.

10:26He bowls through a lot of pain and, and things like that.

10:29So, yeah, the three have been great.

10:31And hopefully they can come again in the morning and make a few early inroads.

10:35Great.

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