Steven Smith, Australia's batting wizard, had the press room in stitches as he took a moment to provide a funny and honest reflection on being dismissed on Day 1 of the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) Final against South Africa. After hitting a couple of boundaries against South Africa's part-time off-spinner Aiden Markram, Smith nicked one down the slope, which he says he is still trying to get his head around. When a reporter asked about lessons learned for the second innings, Smith's response was utterly Smith—witty, considered, and refreshingly human.

‎ "Don't nick the part-time off-spinner," Smith said, laughing and shaking his head again in disbelief at how he had been dismissed. "I don't know, down the slope, still trying to work how I've done that. But yeah, don't do that." His light-hearted view of the incident displayed Smith's ability to laugh at himself as he stood in front of the media and high stakes of a WTC Final. Smith is famous for finding a balance between humour and technical tips, and this press conference was no exception.

‎‎Looking ahead to the pitch for Day 2 Smith also provided a measured assessment: dry with different variable bounce. "Just play what is in front of us," he added and mentioned the key is to be adaptable. He thought that spin would become into play as the game moves on and the seam would eventually disappear. His analysis outlines the tactical astuteness that contributes to his status as one of the sharpest minds in cricket. 

Read More:  SA vs AUS WTC Final 2025 Day 1 Recap – Key performances and major highlights 

‎A Plan For Day Two

‎It wasn't long until Smith was focused on what Australia needed to do in their first session of the day. "Hopefully we can get a few early ones in the morning and sort of go through them," he said while outlining the ambition to attempt to dismantle South Africa's batting with a goal of a lead. The characteristics of the pitch having a variable bounce and seam movement was already been evident on day one and maybe a factor that could work in Australia's favour.

‎For Smith, batting in the second innings is an opportunity to redeem his earlier mistake. With his characteristic grit and a touch of humour, he aims to be the focal point of Australia's batting and lead them to victory in this riveting WTC Final.