Australia’s first innings folded for 212 after being put in to bat.
Australia’s first innings folded for 212 after being put in to bat. In response, the Proteas were reeling at 43/4 at stumps on Wednesday (June 11).
Smith, who contributed 66 runs to the Australian total, felt that the defending champions were in a strong position after the first day’s play.
“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,” Smith said after the close of play on Day 1.
“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,” he added.
The WTC Final marked Smith’s return to action after a three-month long break, during which he said he barely picked up a bat.
“I felt good, felt in a nice place. I love batting here at Lord’s and enjoyed my time while I was out there, but left a few in the shed, unfortunately. It felt quite tricky; the wicket felt like it was doing enough all day… probably a little bit on the slower side, and then one kind of zips through."
Smith was left highly disappointed after being dismissed by part-time spinner Aiden Markram, attempting to hit him to the boundary but edging to slip.
“I’m still trying to fathom how I’ve done that," he said.
(With Reuters Inputs)