The newly-appointed vice-captain for the Australia vs Pakistan series, Steve Smith has been a little out of form in Tests, considering the high standards he has set in the past. He also admitted to a slump in form recently and has found a solution to get his mojo back – golf. Although Smith averages a staggering 58.61 in Tests overall, in the Ashes and the series against India, he averaged only 37.30.
“I don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” he told reporters in Perth. “I’ve performed at a high standard for a long period of time. I was probably below my standards of what I want. For me, it’s about not overthinking it, not overplaying too much, not changing too much.”
“Any sort of moment you can get to have a few days or a week just to get away from the game and get your mental side back to a position where you can go out and perform internationally, it’s important,” he said.
“I’ve sort of got into the golf a bit and played a bit of golf back home. The boys are continually laughing about it at the moment, that I’m getting into golf.”
Australia vs Pakistan, 1st Test in Perth
On Wednesday, Cricket Australia announced the playing XI for Australia vs Pakistan 1st Test. Off-spinner Nathan Lyon returns to the team after Ashes final Test absence due to a calf injury. On the other hand, Mitchell Marsh, who had a decent World Cup 2023, has been preferred over Cameron Green.
Australia playing XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (capt), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
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