Steve Smith defends Australia's batting coach following Healy's criticism
What's the story
Australian cricketer Steve Smith has defended the team's batting coach Michael Di Venuto, following criticism from former cricketer Ian Healy. Healy had blamed Di Venuto for Australia's recent top-order collapses and said that he should take some 'pressure' over it. However, Smith has strongly disagreed with this assessment and praised Di Venuto's contributions to the team.
Player accountability
Players' responsibility to perform in the middle: Smith
Ahead of the second Test against West Indies, Smith stressed on the players' responsibility to perform in the middle. "You can't have someone holding your hand out there," Smith said as quoted by Fox Sports. He also praised Di Venuto's hard work and expertise in batting. "He knows batting inside out. He's seen cricket all around the world, and knows all the conditions," Smith added.
Injury update
Smith set to return for 2nd Test
Smith, who missed the first Test due to a little-finger injury suffered during fielding in the 2025 World Test Championship final against South Africa, is set to return for the second match, which will be underway on July 3 in Grenada. He will take back his number four spot in the batting order. "I looked straight down and I was like, 'That doesn't look right.' I wasn't sure of the extent of the damage," Smith recalled about his injury.
Recovery journey
Smith trained in New York for recovery
Smith's recovery process was not normal as he trained in New York. He said, "My mate actually told me about it — underneath this bridge, there was a batting cage, and he was able to throw me a few balls there. It was nice to hit a few balls." Despite his batting return, Smith is worried about not being able to field close-in on the slips anymore. Notably, the Aussies won the opening Test by 159 runs.