Steve Smith to return to Australian squad, first Test recap, Aussie batters struggle

Steve Smith is set to rejoin Australia’s Test squad as he pushes for a return in the second Test against the West Indies in Grenada starting Friday.

Smith missed Australia’s 159-run victory in the series opener in Barbados after dislocating his finger in the World Test Championship final loss to South Africa at Lords earlier this month.

Josh Inglis, who scored a century on debut in Sri Lanka in January, slotted in to Smith’s place at number four but the Australian top order badly missed the veteran.

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Usman Khawaja’s 47 on day one was the only score of more than 15 by Australia’s top four batters - Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Cameron Green and Inglis - as the tourists slumped to 3/22 and 4/65 in the first and second innings respectively.

Cummins said that Smith will slot straight back into second drop if he is passed fit, likely in place of one of Green, who made 3 and 15 after scores of 4 and 0 against South Africa, or Inglis, who was dismissed for 5 and 12 as a result of an errant hook shot and a misjudged leave.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 14: Steve Smith of Australia speaks to team mates following his side's defeat on Day Four of the ICC World Test Championship Final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's Cricket Ground on June 14, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

Smith has been at his home in New York in recent times, where Cummins said he had picked up a bat a few times to get used to the feel of wearing split on his right little finger, which is required as protection for eight weeks following a compound dislocation.

“He’s had a few hits over in New York, which I think was with a tennis ball and an incredi-ball,” Cummins said.

“I think his wound is looking good, so the next stage is to come over here and hit some balls in the nets.

“So we’ll know more over the next few days.”

It is not unprecedented for an Australian batter to return to the side having done hardly any work against a real cricket ball as Travis Head came back from a broken head midway through the 2023 ODI World Cup after facing tennis balls in the nets.

Australia's captain Pat Cummins celebrates with teammates after defeating West Indies on day three of the first cricket Test match at Kensington Stadium in Bridgetown, Barbados, Friday, June 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan) Source: AP

Cummins, chairman of selectors George Bailey and coach Andrew McDonald will be itching to get Smith back in the fold as soon as possible.

The 36-year-old’s presence would alleviate pressure on Australia’s inexperienced batters, but Cummins was not dismayed by the poor returns of Konstas, Green and Inglis in Australia’s first outing without Smith or the axed Marnus Labuschagne since the 2018 Boxing Day Test.

Green and Inglis are batting higher in the order than they are accustom to, and the going was tough against a fiery West Indian attack on a difficult pitch where only Head, Beau Webster and Alex Carey managed to pass fifty in the match.

Shamar Joseph (L) of West Indies celebrates the dismissal of Cameron Green (R) of Australia during the first day of the 1st test match between West Indies and Australia at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados, on June 25, 2025. (Photo by Randy Brooks / AFP) Source: AFP

“You saw today how tricky a wicket that was, there weren’t too many 50-run partnerships throughout the whole game,” Cummins said.

“Of course, the top order would like to score some more runs. The challenge of Test cricket, especially for young players, is when you get thrown different conditions, you’ve got to find a way to be effective.

“That’s the challenge for our young batting group – if you presented that same wicket next week, would you do anything differently? Would you not?

“That will be the conversations over the next few days.

“But we back them in and their prep leading in was excellent and the way they’re talking about playing is really good, so we’ve got full confidence.”

Australia's Josh Inglis is bowled by West Indies' Jayden Seales on day two of the first cricket Test match at Kensington Stadium in Bridgetown, Barbados, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan) Source: AP

Cummins also suggested that his top order could learn from their teammates down the list.

The match was curiously placed at the beginning of day three with Australia only 82 runs in front with six wickets in hand, but Head, as he so often does, launched a counter attack on his way to man of the match honours.

Webster proved to be a valuable foil, continuing his promising start to his Test career after topscoring for Australia at Lords, and Carey raised his bat after just 40 balls with a blistering knock.

Despite the inconsistent bounce, and the odd stroke of fortune, Australia’s numbers five, six and seven showed the worth of putting pressure back on the bowlers, and how a batter could reap the rewards of grinding out the tough periods early in their innings.

Alex Carey of Australia celebrates his half century during the third day of the 1st Test match between West Indies and Australia at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados, on June 27, 2025. (Photo by Randy Brooks / AFP) Source: AFP

Their efforts lifted the eventual fourth innings target to 310 and importantly, also kept the bowlers off the field for a few more hours.

“I thought those three were brilliant,” Cummins said. “They kept the scoreboard ticking over. I thought they took really good options.

“They were always looking to score. Really, that was the difference. [You are] turning up today thinking that if we didn’t get a big lead it was 50-50, really. Those guys took the game away from West Indies.”

Webster also picked up two wickets with his seamers in the first innings, and he has scored three half-centuries in his five Tests to date, all of which have come in bowler friendly conditions.

Australia's batsmen Travis Head and Beau Webster, right, scores runs from a delivery of West Indies' Shamar Joseph on day three of the first cricket Test match at Kensington Stadium in Bridgetown, Barbados, Friday, June 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan) Source: AP

The 31-year-old debuted at the SCG in January off the back of several dominant seasons in Shield cricket, and after replacing Mitchell Marsh, he may be placing extra pressure on Green for the long-term all-rounder’s place.

“I think it’s pretty much the same as what he does for Tasmania,” Cummins said.

“He seems to always contribute in some way. He’s kind of knocked down the door with his performances over the years in Shield cricket.

“It’s great when you’ve got someone like that coming to the team. They know their craft so well and you saw that today, even on a tricky wicket, he knew where his areas to score were. He’s been a fantastic asset to the team over the last six months.”

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