Tuesday 26 December 2017 07:29, UK
A sore hand may force Australia captain Steve Smith to tweak his approach during the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne.
Smith suffered a freakish injury scare on Christmas Eve when a ball driven by Cameron Bancroft burst over the nets and struck him on the right hand.
Smith, who was waiting to bat at the time, was not wearing gloves but he says he will play at the MCG despite not being 100 per cent fit.
"It was a little bit sore playing a few different shots but I'll be able to deal with it and I'll get on with it," he told reporters. "Maybe I'll just have to use a bit more of my top hand throughout the game, a bit less wristy.
"I copped a few (on the right hand) in the nets in Perth and a few more in the game. It just seems to be whenever you're getting hit in a spot - it just continually gets hit."
The Australian captain, who has helped his side reclaim the urn with man-of-the-match knocks in Brisbane and Perth, had a warning for England if they try to target the injury.
"I hope so, on this wicket," he said. "It doesn't have quite the same pace and bounce as the WACA did, so if you're bowling that length out there it's not a bad thing.
"It looks pretty flat. It doesn't look like there will be great deal of sideways movement, maybe a bit of reverse swing as the game goes on."
Smith insists the hosts, who have brought in Jackson Bird to replace the injured Mitchell Starc, can claim a 4-0 lead on the docile track.
"We've been able to get results here in the last couple of years," he said.
"We're going to have work hard, first-innings runs are going to be crucial again. Hopefully we can get the ball reversing and hopefully there's a little bit of spin for Nath (Nathan Lyon).
"We've now got an opportunity to keep winning. That's been my message to the boys, don't worry about 5-0 at this stage. You've got to win this one first."
Australia team for fourth Ashes Test (probable): S Smith (Captain), D Warner, C Bancroft, U Khawaja, S Marsh, M Marsh, T Paine (wkt), P Cummins, N Lyon, J Hazlewood, J Bird
