“I’ve got pretty much two weeks before my first game, which is probably too much these days,” Smith said. “Honestly, it takes me two hits to get sorted. I feel like I’m ready to go now.
Steve Smith in action in the nets. Credit: Sam Mooy
“I’ve had three hits since I’ve been back. Everything feels good. I’ve been training quite hard, been doing a lot of lifting, trying to get a bit stronger. I did all my strength tests yesterday, and they’re all as good as they’ve ever been.
“I feel like I certainly get drained mentally quicker than I probably used to. Ten years ago, I loved to come back and play every single game that I could.
“I know that when I play a lot at the start, by the end of the summer I’m pretty cooked mentally and probably can’t produce the same performances as I suppose I did last summer.”
Smith praised Marnus Labuschagne’s resurgence, saying he’d mounted a compelling case to feature in the first Test. Labuschagne has scored four centuries this season for Queensland across all formats.
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“It’s a pretty big statement,” Smith said. “He said to me at the start of the summer, ‘I’ll be in that Test team come the first Test’. He’s backed up his words.
“He’s obviously not selected yet, but he’s done a lot of things right. He can open, as we saw in the World Test Championship final, but he can bat three. He’s versatile.
“It’s always tough when you get dropped. I think he knew he probably wasn’t batting as well as he had. My advice to him was to stop thinking so technically, just go and play the game, watch the ball, and react. I think he’s been doing that really beautifully.
“Hopefully, he’s used up all these runs for a few weeks, [and] can have a lean trot next week [when NSW play Queensland] and then get back into it.”
Asked where he thought Green’s best position in the Test order was, Smith said: “I think he can bat anywhere, as he showed in the West Indies. I thought he batted really nicely at three. He’s got a really good technique, good temperament. The beauty with our line-up, I think everyone can slot in at different spots and be versatile.”
Smith said he was excited by the chance to captain Australia again.
“Pat’s still got a few things that he can tick off,” Smith said. “You never know. He’s a healer. He gets well quickly.
“I’ve stood in a couple of times over the last few years. It’s nothing out of the ordinary. If it happens, I’ll look forward to it. It’s been a seamless transaction.”