Steve Smith looked slightly troubled by the short ball, especially while facing Kiwi pacer Neil Wagner during the first Test in Perth. But the great Aussie batsman is confident of a turnaround the next time in Melbourne during the Boxing Day Test where he believes the change in colour of the ball would bring about a change in his fortunes. 

Read Also: Warner says Australia unfazed by Kiwis' potential bouncer barrage at MCG 

"I've been facing a fair bit of short stuff in the nets. Because I'm expecting a bit," The AGE quoted Smith as saying, after being twice caught pulling for just 43 & 16 to Wagner in Australia's dominant victory in the first Test. "It's going to be completely different with the red ball as opposed to the pink ball and, you know, particularly the second innings in Perth, when it was a bit up and down with cracks and stuff. That's never easy at any time, particularly when they're bowling short to you."

For someone who takes even his rare failures very seriously, Smith certainly wouldn't have liked getting out as lesser batsmen do against the short-ball. He thinks it was a case of wrong planning and execution on his part. 

"A bit of both, I think particularly first innings obviously I was 40 off 160 rocks or something," he said. "And, you know, I got underneath them for a while there and just got to a point where, you know, we'd put on quite a few and it was about just trying to move the game forward a little bit quicker. And just didn't execute it very well."

"But second innings was a bit harder, when the wicket was a bit up and down. So we'll see what happens out here. But I'm certainly looking forward to the red ball."

"It's a bit different to the pink one. I find the pink one a little bit harder to pick up. It comes up off the bat, a bit like a tennis ball in a way," Smith added. 

"And it's just yeah, I feel like my timing's not on as much with the pink line as opposed to the red or the white one. So maybe need some work there."

(Inputs from The AGE)