Australia National Cricket Team modern-day batting great Steve Smith has launched a brutal attack on the former wicketkeeper-batsman Ian Healy in defence of the batting coach Michael Di Venuto.
Smith has also provided a fresh update on his finger injury ahead of the second Test against West Indies, which is set to commence on July 3 at the National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada.
Steve Smith had sustained an injury on his right little finger during the ICC World Test Championship Final against the Proteas, which was later found to be a compound dislocation.
Smith's injury blocked his participation in the last few days of the WTC Final, and it also ruled him out of the Test series opener against West Indies, which the Aussies won comprehensively.
En route to his recovery, Smith started facing tennis and soft cricket balls in a baseball cage in New York, before joining the squad in Barbados. Notably, Smith also batted against the hard balls in his second session in New York.
Providing an update on his injury, Steve Smith said that he is totally pain-free and added that the only thing he is worried about is fielding in mid-on, mid-off, or fine leg.
"For me, it'll just feel like training as normal, I think. 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," Smith told reporters as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
"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 probably mid-on or mid-off or fine leg, is a bit different to standing at the second or first slip."
Notably, Smith got a thinner splint placed on his little finger after having his stitches removed on return to the Caribbean.
Also Read: Andrew McDonald drops fresh Steve Smith injury update, announces Marnus Labuschagne's removal from Test squad
Steve Smith takes a dig at Ian Healy
Ian Healy has been in the headlines ever since the Aussies landed in the Caribbean for the Test series against the West Indies. Healy was in the news because of his verbal assault on Shamar Joseph, who shut the former Australian cricketer down with his performances in the first Test.
After that, Ian Healy shifted his target and took a dig at the batting coach Michael Di Venuto, blaming him for the regression in Australia's performance.
Smith has now hit back at criticism from Ian Healy of Australia's batting coach, saying that the batters in the middle need to find out ways to perform better, and Michael Di Venuto shouldn't be blamed.
"(Di Venuto's) not the one out there actually doing the batting. Guys have to be able to figure it out for themselves in the middle sometimes. You can't have someone holding your hand out there," Smith said.
"He works as hard as anyone. He knows batting inside out. He's seen cricket all around the world, and knows all the conditions. He's done a wonderful job for a long time now, and the boys really enjoyed working with him," Smith added.
These guys have some really good talent and I think they have bright futures - Steve Smith
Australia's new top-order in Test cricket consists of Sam Konstas and Cameron Green. The duo are yet to play impressive knocks for the team in their first few innings at the top, but have received good backing from Steve Smith.
Steve Smith said that the young batters need to be given the opportunities to gain international exposure, and then they will start delivering.
"These guys are good players, there's been a lot of talk around it but… we just need to give them an opportunity," Steve Smith said.
"It doesn't always come around straight away. We've just got to give them an opportunity and let them get used to playing in these conditions and in international cricket. These guys have some really good talent and I think they have bright futures."
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