Smith: If the result doesn't go our way, we can turn it around

Steven Smith projected a sense of calm sitting in front of a huge media throng as Australia's captain on the eve of a home Ashes series.

He's been there and done this many times before. But this is a little different. That Smith was sitting there as the stand-in captain was not plan A for Australia.

That they are playing without two of their big three fast bowlers, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, in a home Test for the first time since 2022 was definitely not plan B.

That they have picked two players, Brendan Doggett and Jake Weatherald, to debut in the same Test for the first time since 2019, and a seventh different opening partner for Usman Khawaja in 16 Tests, was not even plan C.

Australia are unsettled and vulnerable. But while there is a popular belief, at least externally, that England must win in Perth to have any chance in the series, there is no sense that Australia feel Perth is make or break. The lessons of last year's loss to India in Perth before winning the series 3-1 are fresh in their minds.

"I think you want to try and win the first Test match and get yourself ahead of the game, I suppose, or the series," Smith said on Thursday. "But I think either way we look at last summer, we lost the first Test match and we were able to claw the series back.

"We've got a lot of belief in that change room, if the result doesn't go our way this week, that we can turn it around. We saw it last year. So ideally, we play well this week, and we've got potentially Patty on the table next game. Josh, I don't know, but I think we'll see how this week pans out."

Australia have learnt some clear lessons from 12 months ago. Despite their public protestations after copping a shellacking from India in Perth that caused a firestorm of criticism from home fans, they knew internally they had been undercooked going into that series.

Every member of the squad bar Khawaja played the most recent Sheffield Shield round to prepare for the opening Test, something that didn't happen last year. Every member of the chosen XI bar Travis Head and Mitchell Starc have played at least two first-class games in the last month, which again was not the case last summer. Perth golf courses have been frequented this week, but quantifiably less often than in the training period last year.

The hype has been unprecedented. On another scale to last year, even with the inflation that India can bring. But for Smith, entering his ninth Ashes series as a player and his fifth on home soil, it has felt like par for the course.

"It's pretty standard," Smith said. "I've been involved in a few now, and there's always so many words said before the series. But for us, I think it's about just ignoring the outside noise, concentrating on our processes, what we do well as a team and trusting and backing that throughout. It's exciting that we're starting tomorrow. Everyone's been raring to go for the last few days of training and even before that."

Australia have maintained their own bubble. There were no leaks to the media of the initial Ashes squad. There was no leaks of the XI until Thursday morning, which was a pretty good achievement given the binary nature of the choices the selectors had.

Even the public pontifications on how Bazball will fare in Australia have been left to ex-players, the media and the punters. Australia's current players have consistently spoken kindly this week about the quality of England's team and the brand of cricket they play.

There were moments in the 2023 Ashes in England when Australia did look "rattled" in the field as England's Bazballers swung momentum violently at times as only they can.

The proof will be in the pudding, but Smith certainly portrayed a sense that Bazball is not "in their heads" as the Barmy Army's song suggests.

"I think it's just playing the tempo of the game that needs to be played at each certain time," Smith said. "I've no doubt throughout this series, there's going to be periods of the game where a few of their batters get off and they score some runs quickly. And for us, it might be about being a little bit defensive in those moments. And then finding the moments where we can attack a bit more and just playing the game, really, that's in front of us, and not letting it drift too far before we implement the plans that need to be played at that certain time. I guess that's as simple as I can put it right now."

There are as many unknowns about Australia as there are about England ahead of this series. But it is clear Australia are not gripping the steering wheel tight in Perth. The result will be the result. Reinforcements are almost certain to come soon given how good Cummins looks in the nets.

It might be the calm before the storm. But even if the storm comes, an understrength Australia appear prepared for it.