Veteran Australian batter Steve Smith took an unconventional method for his recovery. He used a baseball batting cage in New York to fast-track his recovery from a dislocated finger as well, and he is now all set to return for the second Test against the West Indies. However, smashing tennis balls, soft balls and eventually cricket balls in the shaded cage helped him test his hand in heat similar to the Caribbean as well.

“Underneath this bridge there was a batting cage,” Smith told reporters. “It was ideal because it was pretty warm, like 36 degrees Celsius, so it was good to be in the shade. My mate actually told me about it and he was able to throw me a few balls there.”

However, Steve Smith sustained a compound dislocation of his right little finger during the World Test Championship final against South Africa as well. With the finger heavily bandaged and movement restricted, he also missed the first  Test in Barbados and spent time in his New York apartment as well. He also said his finger feels fine now, and he expects to train normally in Grenada as well.

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“Everything felt good… I just got my stitches out and I’ve got a smaller splint on now, so it’ll be easier getting my hand in the glove,” Steve Smith said. “I don’t really feel any pain or anything. [It’s] just getting used to the splint on and the slight limited movement. It’s not too bad, I’ve got a lot of movement there now, so that feels good. Hitting the ball felt completely fine.”

“I was honestly just bored here,” he again said. “I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t sweat, and I was sort of stuck in the room doing nothing. I’ve got the apartment four-and-a-half hours away. Dani was back there, the dogs were there… so I went back to sit in the air conditioning and watch the boys play.”

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However, Smith will need to prove his fitness at training on Tuesday to seal his place in the playing XI, but he is already preparing for some unfamiliar roles on the field as well.

“Fielding some balls in front of the wicket will probably be the strangest thing for me. I don’t think I’ve ever done that in a Test match. Fielding at either mid-on, mid-off or fine leg, a bit different to standing at second or first slip,” Steve Smith concluded.