I am bit more relaxed now, it’s going to be a cool tour, says Smith on his captaincy return

Veteran batter Steve Smith said he is feeling ‘bit more relaxed’ about the chance to lead Australia for two Tests in Galle in the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins.

Smith was named as Test captain for the two-match tour of Sri Lanka as Cummins will be missing the trip due to the impending birth of his second child and a newly revealed ankle injury.

“Any chance I get to take over when Patty’s (Cummins) not here is good fun. I try and still do things my way. It’s been cool to have a couple of opportunities here and there,” Smith told the Sydney Morning Herald ahead of his BBL match for the Sydney Sixers.

“It’s going to be a cool tour. I think I understand spin and the subcontinent really well in terms of angles and what needs to happen. Also, the tempo of play that needs to be played at certain times.

“I’m probably a bit more relaxed now. I’m pretty chilled and just laid-back. I’ll just enjoy it,” he said.

Smith served a two-year leadership ban for his role in the Sandpapergate saga of 2018. The 35-year-old has skippered his country four times since the ban ended. He captained Australia against England in Adelaide (2021), against the West Indies in Perth (2022) before donning the captain’s hat in a couple of Tests in India in 2023.

Smith led Australia on their tour of Sri Lanka in 2016, which ended in a disastrous 3-0 series defeat.

Speaking about the spin-friendly conditions of Sri Lanka, Smith said, “They can be tough conditions,” Smith said. “They play pretty well there, particularly if the wickets are quite extreme. It’s just guys developing plans as batters... different methods that allow them to score and survive. It’s very different to playing spin here in Australia. Whatever that is, stick to it from ball one, trust it.”

Smith is eyeing one of the biggest milestones of joining the 10,000 run club after he fell one short of becoming the 15th man to achieve the feat in Sydney Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“One run... it hurt a little bit at the time,” Smith said. “It would have been nice to have ticked that off in front of all my friends and family here at my home ground, but hopefully, I can knock it off first thing in Galle. I probably let it wander (in my mind) too much throughout the game. It’s a cool milestone to tick off,” he said.

Meanwhile, Australia’s left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has credited a move to Tasmania in the domestic cricket circuit for helping him clinch a recall to the Test team for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.

Kuhnemann had played three Tests on the tour of India in early 2023 and even picked a five-wicket haul. But after that, he found the going tough as he finished the 2023/24 Sheffield Shield season without an appearance, as Queensland fielded leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson as their main spinner.

As a result, Kuhnemann switched to Tasmania ahead of the 2024/25 season, and played in six Sheffield Shield matches, picking 18 wickets – nine of which came at his new home ground in Hobart, a venue challenging for spinners to excel.

That prompted the Australian selectors to pick Kuhnemann for the two-match tour of Sri Lanka, where he will be a part of the spin department alongside Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy and Corey Rocchiccioli.

“I sacrificed a little bit moving down to Tasmania, and I’m very grateful to Tasmania for giving me the opportunity. It’s funny how cricket works out, if you asked me a few years ago, I’d be down in Tasmania and then going away with an Australian tour to Sri Lanka I would’ve been chuffed.

“It’s all part of the journey. Any time you get the opportunity to tour with the Australian team is something you cherish forever,” said Kuhnemann to The Sydney Morning Herald on Friday.

While adding that he would rely on his experiences of playing in India to prepare for the Sri Lanka tour, Kuhnemann felt if needed, he and Connolly can exist in the same playing XI at Galle.

Indo-Asian News Service