WI vs AUS | Steve Smith cleared for second Test on condition of giving up slip duties

Former Aussie skipper and the modern-day batting great, Steve Smith, missed the first Test against West Indies in Bridgetown owing to the compound dislocation in his finger but looks fit to be in action in the second Test in Grenada after returning to his first full training session after the injury. But the visitors will have to go with some caution as Smith won't be allowed to field in the slip cordon.

After the Lord’s mishap, Smith was in his apartment in New York for a week when the rest of the side was in action against the West Indies in the Barbados Test. His stitches were taken off as soon as he joined the squad. Now, Smith has been advised to wear a splint for six more weeks. Nevertheless, assistant coach Matthew Wade joined Smith in training as the two indulged in a session of throwdowns.

The management won’t be looking ahead to keep Steve Smith in the slip cordon owing to the recovery phase of his finger injury. He will be placed in the outfield during the fielding with some reservations and implications. “He seems pretty confident. He's excited to get back in. It's been tough at the top of the order, so to add a little bit more experience is good for the group,” said Australia wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey before the training session started.

Meanwhile, the West Indies head coach Daren Sammy also spoke about Smith being unavailable and his importance for the Australian side.

“He's a quality guy, a quality player. Australia is still strong [without him] because of the system they have. They keep on producing guys. But we've seen that when we add pressure as a bowling group, we did get 20 wickets in the Test, and that's the first step towards winning. Steve Smith, if he comes in, poses a different challenge to us,” Sammy said.