Steve Smith press conference ahead of WTC Final 2025 | Australia vs South Africa | Pat Cummins

Steve Smith- Australia press conference, 9 June 2025
[Reporter] Steve, a lot of the talk going into this match has been about how it's going to be a battle between the bowling attacks. I think there's been a lot of that. But as a batter, how do you feel about that? How are the batters' plays going into this?

[Steve] Well, I know how our team is. We've been training really well the last week or so. All the batters feel like they're in a good place. So now just excited to go out and play. You know, another Test Championship Final. We've got some fond memories obviously of last year just down the road. So, coming here to Lord's, It's a place we traditionally play pretty good cricket so yeah, we're excited about the the prospect of coming up against South Africa with the Dukes ball. It's obviously different to what we traditionally have with our home and away games, so you know there's a difference there but yeah we're excited about this contest.

[Reporter] Steve, any decisions that you're aware of being made about the the team makeup and you know what do you what do you think they sort of I guess the final things are that need to be crossed off before those are made?

[Steve] Yeah, I'm not sure on the team. I'm sure Paddy will give that to you tomorrow. But, you know, we've got plenty of options. I think the batters in particular, I've been watching them. Everyone's hitting the ball really nicely. So there's some good competition for spots which is always what you want so yeah everyone's ready and chomping at the bit to get out there.

[Reporter] And what did you make of the pitch Steve? It seemed possibly a bit drier than what we've seen here in the past. Do you think you know Nathan Lyon and spin could also play a part?

[Steve] Yeah I think spin will play a big part, particularly as the game wears on. It is dry, I think the reports, obviously we only came here a week ago, but I think it's been pretty dry to start the season over here. There hasn't been too much rain, which can be rare for England obviously. But yeah, it does look like quite a dry surface and I think the foot marks will definitely come into play as the game wears on.

[Reporter] Steve, is there any difference in approach when you're batting 3 or 4?

[Steve] Not particularly. No. Yeah, No real difference when I was opening to four either, it was the same sort of thing. It's just a position, you could be facing the brand new ball batting at four, You could lose two wickets in the first over or, you know, yeah, so there's no real difference.

[Reporter] And one other thing, batting at Lord's, is there something special about batting at Lord's? You put in some of your great performances here, it seems like it's the big stage.

[Steve] Yeah, It's a nice place to bat. I've personally had a little bit of success here. It takes a little bit of time getting used to the slope. One end you feel like you're falling over a little bit, the other end you feel quite tall. So, yeah, it takes a couple of deliveries just to get used to that from both ends I think each time you play out here. But you certainly get value for your shots, particularly hitting the ball down the hill. The ball seems to race away so it can be a nice wicket to bat on as we've seen over the years as well. And that can change obviously with overheads if there's a bit of cloud in the air and the ball swing around and moving around it can get tricky. So, you know, I think batting on this surface it's it's about just summing it up and playing what's in front of you and being able to adapt accordingly when conditions change because playing in England they can change quickly.

[Reporter] Steve, you've had success against South Africa and also had some controversial moments we don’t have to get into, but What do you make of them coming into this? Is there still that kind of traditional niggle? Is there a bit more friendliness between the sides? What do you make of the relationship between the two teams?

[Steve] It's pretty relaxed, I think. Yeah, we're obviously playing in a big game. I think both teams deserve to be here for the Test Championship Final. They've got a really good side, particularly their bowling attack led by Rabada, whose obviously record speaks for itself, and some other quality performers around.

[Reporter] You said that they deserve to be here. There’s obviously been a lot of talk about who deserves to be here or not. Is that something you pay attention to? Do you look at the teams and think South Africa are one of the top sides they belong here?

[Steve] Yeah, they're a good side. They're here for a reason. I don't know how the system works with the percentages and what have you, but they're here, they're in the top two and they're a good side.

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