Michael Hussey reveals advice to Steve Smith, questions batters’ decision to overpractice in nets

Former Australian batter Michael Hussey has questioned Steve Smith’s tactics ahead of the third Test against India in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series. Hussey feels Smith’s decision to overpractice in the nets might not be the best method to get out of poor form.

Smith was dismissed after scoring only two runs in the first innings of the pink-ball Test at Adelaide when he was strangled down the leg-side by Jasprit Bumrah.

Furthermore, Smith returned with scores of 0 and 17 in the opening Test at Perth. The right-hander hasn’t been at his best in 2024 as he has averaged 23.20 in seven Test matches, with a solitary fifty in last 13 innings.

Michael Hussey said on cricket.com.au, “I just really observed his preparation. It’s well documented that him and Marnus in particular, they hit a lot of balls, they practice really hard and they do a great deal of preparation. And I just said (to Smith), ‘It’s worth just thinking about how much you hit, and is it actually helping you, or is it slightly detrimental?’. I think as a young player, volume is really important.”

“But as you get older, I certainly found from my own perspective, it wasn’t about hitting more balls and working yourself into the ground. It was more about coming into games as mentally and physically fresh as you possibly can. My concern was, especially over a five-Test series, is he doing more harm than good by just maybe losing a little bit of mental or physical edge? In Test match cricket, against a good attack, you’re going to get found out,” he added.

In 111 Tests, Smith has amassed 9704 runs at an average of 56.09 with 32 centuries and 41 fifties and he is one of Australia’s best Test batters of the current era.

Smith also concurred with Michael Hussey and said he wouldn’t over-practice in an ideal world but feels he is batting well in the nets.

“In an ideal world, I probably wouldn’t hit as many balls as I do in the lead-up … it’s just if I need to feel a bit better with something or work on a certain movement, or whatever I might need that last session. I do that every now and again, if I feel like I’m batting well and I’ve got everything that I need out of my sessions.”

The third Test match between India and Australia will be played at the Gabba, Brisbane from December 14.