Steve Smith trains in baseball cage, returns strong

Charismatic Australian batter Steve Smith's quick recovery from a "compound dislocation" in the little finger of his right hand, and his sooner-than-expected return to the squad for the second Test against West Indies has a baseball twist to it.

Smith has suffered an injury to his right little finger while trying to take a difficult catch off South African captain Temba Bavuma at first slip during the World Test Championship final at Lord's earlier this month.

The 36-year-old former Australian skipper immediately left London after his wound was cleaned, stitched and his finger placed in a splint. Instead of waiting for the injury to heal by itself, he decided to hit the "baseball cage" in New York, where he owns an apartment.

The injury forced him to miss the opening game of the three-Test series against the Caribbean in Barbados from June 25 to 27, which Australia won by 159 runs.

In New York, he began by facing tennis balls and other soft balls in the nets before facing the hard cricket ball.

"My mate actually told me about it, which was ideal because it was pretty warm there (in New York)," Smith was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

"Underneath this bridge there was a batting cage, and he was able to throw me a few balls there, so it was good to be in the shade, it was pretty hot there," he said.

A baseball cage is a netted enclosure, quite similar to the cricket nets, used by baseball players to practice hitting. It provides a contained area where batters can safely swing and hit baseballs, without the risk of stray balls leaving the hitting area.

Smith sent the footage of his batting to the Australian medical staff in the Caribbean, who were happy with his progress.

The report added that Smith had his stitches removed on Sunday and his finger now only has a thinner splint as he gears up for his return for the second Test at St George's from July 3.

"For me, it'll just feel like training as normal, I think. I don't really feel any pain or anything. (I'm) 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," said Smith "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,” he added.

Smith, meanwhile, backed the new players in the Australian side, including opener Sam Konstas, to come good in the second Test.

"These guys are good players, there's been a lot of talk around it but... we just need to give them an opportunity," said Smith.

"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,” he added.