Australian batsman Steve Smith is banking on the inconsistent bounce of the Lord’s pitch to exploit South Africa’s vulnerable batting lineup on day two of the World Test Championship final. After a tumultuous opening day where 14 wickets fell, Australia managed to post 212 runs before leaving South Africa reeling at 43/4 at stumps on Wednesday.
Smith, who contributed a solid 66 in his first match since March, believes Australia is in a commanding position but is keen to press their advantage. He stated, “I think the bounce is going to be variable throughout the game, as we’ve seen already on day one, so hopefully we can get a few early wickets in the morning and sort of go through them and have a bit of a lead. That’s the ideal scenario for us right now.”
Currently, Australia holds a significant lead of 169 runs. Reflecting on the day’s play, Steve Smith acknowledged that while there were missed opportunities with the bat, the challenging pitch worked in their favor. He remarked, “I think we’re in a good spot. We probably had a few missed opportunities with the bat to try and get a bigger total, but I think the wicket offered something all day. We could have had a better day, but we’re still in a nice position.”
It will be a tough contest, what do you say?
