Steve Smith will lead RR from the start of the season for the first time.
With Jos Buttler out of his season opener and uncertainty surrounding Ben Stokes’ involvement, the Rajasthan Royals have received a much-needed shot in the arm with Steve Smith’s availability for the game against Chennai Super Kings on September 22. in Sharjah.
“Fantastic news that Steve is available,” RR head coach Andrew McDonald said on the eve of the game. “It’s fantastic, especially after some setbacks in the UK. Obviously it’s great to have your skipper available for the first game.”
“In terms of the rest of the team, we couldn’t be happier with their preparation. We have what we needed, having been here well and early to get going after a long break. I have the bases covered and I have very good depth. in the team and I am looking forward to seeing what it looks like in a real competitive match against CSK.
Just before arriving in the UAE, Smith spent his last outing for Australia, an ODI series in England, on the sidelines after taking a hit to the head in practice a day before the opener. Although Smith passed all the concussion tests he took, the team’s management kept him out, citing a “precautionary measure.” Although Smith was tested before every game and passed them, too, he took no chances. Langer has now said that Smith looked “bad”, although he did his best to get back in shape.
“We saw how bad he looked, trying his best to get up. So, I told him that after he didn’t play the first game, that is very likely to rule him out of the entire series partner,” Langer said. “Because we had to play three games in 5-6 days. It was not a surprise to me. The protocols are there for a reason. We have been very fair with those protocols and we have been consistent with them.”
Smith arrived in Dubai and had a couple of days off before being put to the test to judge whether he would be ready for the CSK game. “I’ve been in Dubai for a couple of days now with a good rest and then I started running a bit. Yesterday I did a bit of a zigzag run, which is part of the protocols to pass to play again and today I will have a hit on the net. Hopefully, I’ll get off the hit well and be good to play tomorrow, “Smith said.
Heading into the game, McDonald acknowledged that CSK has a slight advantage due to the fact that they have already played a game. However, RR has had the advantage of training at the match venue, Sharjah, and giving their players a sense of the game from the center on the net.
“They had a fantastic first game, they are one game away from the tournament, which is a slight advantage when you go out against the team that has already played and played. So we will definitely have a lot of work to do.”
“We have trained in Sharjah a couple of times. Most of our players have a very good sense of the surface. We have had some practice on the net in the middle, which is always positive as opposed to just nets on the midfield. The guys have been able to feel what it’s like to hit center and have had a lot of fielding there, so they are quite familiar with the stadium.
Life hasn’t been easy for hitters in games so far in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but the ballgame is expected to be quite different in Sharjah. “Clearly a different surface than Dubai or Abu Dhabi in terms of racing and the size of the venue, so it will create some tough challenges for the bowling alley, so there is no question that there is a high scoring course.”
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