How lonely Smith session revealed big Aussie shift as gruelling ‘double-edged sword’ laid bare

As earthmovers rumbled away in the background at the WACA Ground under the blazing sun in Perth on Monday, Steve Smith was a picture of concentration in the middle.

Every 20 seconds or so, the Australian vice-captain would twitch into action, his feet dancing across, back and forth of the crease as he dealt with each ball thrown to him on merit.

The clip of bat meeting ball punctured the relentless grinding of gears in the background as the 34-year-old honed his craft for more than 30 minutes with the temperature sitting at 32C.

The Australian staffers peppering him with cricket balls aside, Smith was on his lonesome for the initial stages of the training session ahead of the series against Pakistan.

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The first Test of the summer was less than 72 hours from starting, but this was a non-compulsory session and Smith’s teammates were free to prepare in their preferred manner before the shift to Optus Stadium on Tuesday.

Marnus Labuschagne was among those to hit the nets to the side of the WACA Ground, not far from the banks of the magnificent Swan River, about 40 minutes later.

Australian captain Pat Cummins, who had earlier attended the WACA for a gym session, has identified these types of days as critical to the team’s success in a particularly taxing year.

In a gruelling season that began with the SCG Test against South Africa, the demands have been as relentless as the performances have, for the most part, been remarkably rewarding.

From a late Indian summer to the United Kingdom through winter, from South Africa in early Spring and back to India for a never-ending World Cup and then T20 series, the Australians have been on the move from continent to continent, oval to oval and hotel to hotel.

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“You’ve got to give up something to play as much as we do,” Cummins told Fox Cricket.

“You can’t expect everyone to be training like Michael Jordan day-in, day-out, planning 24/7 and watching footage, and then also expect them to have the energy leftover to allow them to perform at their best for the 100 days of the year they might be playing for Australia.

“So we are big on game days being the main day. That is where you have to put all your energy. And then outside of that, it is about maximising yourself, getting prepared for game day.

“Most training sessions are optional. We try to leave space in the diaries for people to go and get a coffee or play golf or spend time with their kids and that is even more important sometimes than the actual training part.”

In the afterglow of the stunning ODI World Cup triumph in India, former Australian star Mike Hussey stressed his admiration at the side’s ability to perform so strongly in the tournament.

In the infancy of the World Cup, the Australians were criticised by some for their body language in the field, with suggestions the wear and tear from a long year was taking a toll.

That would not have surprised Hussey. He noted that when he bumped into young Western Australian Cameron Green during the Indian Premier League in April, he looked exhausted.

“I don’t think we ever played this much. We definitely played a lot, but I think with the way this schedule is now, it’s physically and mentally impossible to play everything,” Hussey said.

“I guess that’s why we’re seeing a lot more crossover of players playing different formats of the game but there’s still a couple … that are playing all three formats of the game.

“It’s physically and mentally impossible to be at your 100 per cent best (all year), so I guess there needs to be a lot of planning and a lot of management of players.

“And I guess that’s where … the planning and management of the mental side of the game comes in as well. (It’s) very difficult to do everything but I guess you have just got to try and do the best you can.”

Decorated Australian batsman and former selector Mark Waugh described the situation facing modern cricketers as a double-edged sword. The demands on their time are ever-increasing, but so too are the financial rewards.

“Like any professional sportsman, you’ve got to make sacrifices. If you want to get to the top level, it’s just the way. But the rewards are so good when you’re playing cricket for your country,” he said.

“You are away from home a lot and I guess the media spotlight is much more intense than when I was playing, so you are pretty much in the eye of the gun every day of the year. There is not much respite.

“And now, obviously with T20 cricket, which wasn’t around when I played, that’s filling up the gaps that were there to possibly have a bit of a break. It’s very intense for the cricketers.

“They get well paid though. They know the lay of the land. But it’s probably impossible to keep going at 100 per cent all year round for these players. They do need a break here and there to freshen up.”

The hectic schedule throughout the past year is not the only challenge the Australian side has faced during a season where personal tragedies have coincided with team triumphs.

The intensity of trying to retain the Urn, particularly after Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow during the final day of the Lords Test, was both mentally and physically taxing.

But Cummins and all-rounder Mitch Marsh also experienced personal losses with their loved ones.

Shortly after the second Test against India in Delhi in February, the Australian captain returned home to be with his mother Maria, who died of breast cancer in March.

During the World Cup, Marsh was granted permission to return to Perth to be with his grandfather Ross, who died in the middle stages of the round-robin phase.

Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin is aware of how difficult those types of moments can be during the midst of a tour.

He left an Australian tour of the West Indies in 2012 to be with his daughter Mia, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of children’s cancer.

In 2015 he missed the Lords Test during an Ashes series to be with his ill daughter, surrendering his spot as a result to Peter Neville, and retired later that year.

Australian greats Ricky Ponting and Ian Healy were among those aghast that Haddin was not immediately returned to the Test team when available.

But Haddin told Fox Cricket’s podcast The Follow On it is critical for cricketers to put their families first and is encouraged by the approach adopted by Cricket Australia.

“I have grown up in the Australian team and yes, you are out there to do the best for your country. It is a privileged position that we get to play. But it has always been family first,” Haddin said.

“If something has happened, and we have seen it recently with some of the players, where they have made the decision to go home and be with their family, well that has always been the case.

“You have to remember that they are sons, they are fathers, first and foremost. You have to remember the human side of the sport as well and I think Cricket Australia has managed that really well over the last couple of years.”

Cummins concurs, stating much has been learnt over the past few years dating back to the beginning of the pandemic. And this leeway has had a positive impact on performance.

“I think over the last few years, there has probably been more understanding (of these things),” Cummins said.

“We spend a lot of time on the road, away from our families, away from key moments. And we are dealing with humans. So not only is it trying to do the best thing for the player, selfishly, but if you are able to manage the person well, you are going to get the best outcomes on the field as well.

“I think we have done a really good job in the Aussie cricket team over the last few years of doing that, even through COVID, which was a really tough time for everyone. I think the way we have managed people through (these times), it is as good a job as we could do.”

The summer ahead consists of three Tests against Pakistan, two against the West Indies and a couple against New Zealand on the road leading into the IPL and a T20 World Cup.

It is a cycle on steroids, hence the priority CA is placing on ensuring its cricketers are finding a balance away from thrash and bash of T20 leagues and wearing the whites in Test cricket.

“Again, you are talking about high performance and getting the best out of a player, well them living in the cricket bubble 24/7 isn’t a good thing either,” Cummins said.

“Cricket is a job. We obviously love it, but it is not any more important than your family and your friends and having a life outside of it. It is always about finding a balance.”