Smith explains why he changed stance at Gabba: ‘I struggled against balls that skidded’

On the second day of the ongoing Gabba Test, Steve Smith walked in to bat at 38/2 in the 19th over, and the commentators and the host broadcaster wasted no time in pointing out his changed stance. 

After his trademark shuffle got him in trouble in the first innings in Perth, Smith chose to stay rather still in the second innings of the first Test and also in Adelaide. But on the second day at the Gabba, the right-hander brought out the most exaggerated shuffle we’ve seen from him all year, starting at the leg stump before ending close to the sixth/seventh stump while making contact with the ball. 

The trigger and shuffle was reminiscent of his ‘peak’ years between 2014 and 2019. It was also similar to what he employed in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India at The Oval last year, where he scored a match-winning ton.

The change worked like a charm as the 35-year-old smashed his first Test ton of the year and carved out a 241-run stand with Travis Head that helped Australia take firm control of the third Test.

Smith, after the day’s play, explained the reasoning behind the change. 

“This one is a pretty bouncy track so I was trying to bat out of the crease, going across the stumps, trying to get at the bowler(s) a little bit. I also had my left leg open,” Smith said after day two.

“Of late, when I’ve been doing my double trigger, I’ve tended to have my left leg too close and I struggled to get my bat down in time to the balls that skidded. I thought my movements were pretty good today, maybe bigger than what I would have liked early on, but I felt like I was moving into the ball nicely,” he explained.

Smith explained that it was not difficult for him to make the change as, in his own words, he’s made at least one change in every single game he’s played in the last 15 years.

“I have changed my setup for every game I’ve played in the last 15 years, it’s nothing new to me. I kind of try to adapt and figure out the best way to play on each surface,” Smith explained.

Smith entered the third Test under quite a bit of pressure, having registered scores of 2, 0 & 17 across the first two games. Jasprit Bumrah had the wood over him, dismissing the right-hander two times across the two games. 

But the veteran asserted that, despite the string of low scores, he felt like he was batting pretty well in the past month or so.

“It’s been tricky. Had a couple of tough outings and tickled one down leg in Adelaide but I feel I’ve been batting well for the last month or so,” Smith said.

“It was about sticking to my processes and believing that things will eventually turn around. You need a bit of luck on these surfaces - we’re playing on at the moment - and I got a bit of luck early on and was able to make the most out of it.”

Luck was something that Smith did not have across the first two Tests. He got a pearler from Bumrah in the first innings in Perth and then another unplayable ball from Mohammed Siraj in the second dig. In Adelaide, meanwhile, he tickled a rank full delivery down leg-side straight to the keeper.

But Smith insisted that he was confident that he would get the rub of the green at some point. 

“I’ve played the game long enough to know that fortunes will eventually turn,” Smith said.

“If you’re going through a period where you’re not having much luck, you’ll get some fortune if you hang around long enough. You’ll have to keep the faith that things will turn around if you put in the hard work. 

“I rode my luck today. On another day, I might have nicked a couple of balls. But I played the line nicely, got into good positions and left well early.”

Smith was dismissed by Bumrah on the day, but no Indian bowler troubled him as much as Akash Deep. The right-arm seamer had an intriguing battle with the Aussie veteran and beat him on the outside and the inside multiple times, and was unlucky to not have gotten his man.

Smith was full of praise for the Indian speedster, who sat out the first two Tests.

“I thought Akash Deep bowled really nicely. He got the ball to move significantly in the first spell. He bowled great lengths as well. It’s the first time I’ve faced him, actually. He’s got some skill there for sure,” Smith said of Akash. 

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