Australia captain Steve Smith on Thursday observed that the JSCA Stadium track did not offer much spin like the first two Tests that attracted negative ratings from the International Cricket Council, PTI reported.
Asked about the pitch, Smith, who scored an unbeaten 117 on Day 1 of the third Test said: ”The ball didn’t spin here. In the first two Tests, the ball spun. The bounce was consistent and there wasn’t any up and down movement. We will need as many as we can get in the first innings.”
Australia posted 299/4 with Smith sharing an unbeaten 159-run stand with Glenn Maxwell for the fifth wicket. Smit was all praise for Maxwell, who is batting on 82 having scored his maiden Test fifty.
“Obviously for 4 for 300, we had to form a couple of partnerships. Maxi played beautifully. Stuck to his plans and struck the bad balls. It is a good pitch so we will need all the runs we can get. But tomorrow is going to be a crucial day for us,” he said.
In the eye of storm post ‘DRS Brain Fade’, Smith said that he has moved on. “You cannot control the past. I came out and said I made a mistake and moved on from there.”
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