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BRISBANE: Australia’s Steve Smith has confirmed he will be wearing ‘eye blacks’ during the upcoming day-night Ashes Test against England at The Gabba, starting December 4, after noticing a clear improvement during training under lights.
Smith, who is expected to lead Australia again as stand-in captain, revealed that the decision was influenced by advice from former West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
For the unversed, the ‘eye blacks’ are small, black, adhesive strips worn on the cheekbone that are designed to reduce the glare from floodlights by absorbing the light that would otherwise reflect off the skin.
These anti-glare strips are commonplace in several American sports; however, in cricket, Chanderpaul is the most prominent cricketer to have used them.
“I actually messaged Shivnarine Chanderpaul and asked him what his thoughts were, whether he wore the chalk or the strips,” Smith said.
“He said the strips, and he thinks it blocks out 65% of the glare. He also told me I was wearing them the wrong way. So yesterday I put them on the right way… and yeah, I’ll be wearing them.”
Smith admitted he felt a noticeable positive difference after correcting how he wore them.
Despite his stature as one of modern cricket’s greatest batters, Smith has not been at ease in day-night Tests. His average drops to 37.04 under lights, compared to a dominant 58.31 in traditional red-ball matches.
“It’s hard to bat all the time,” he said while discussing the challenges of twilight and full darkness.
“The ball reacts differently to a red one. At times, it can start moving randomly. You’ve got to be ready to shift your plans, whether that means attacking or just trying to survive that period.”
Steve Smith also reflected on the nature of the Gabba surface and how it impacts the pink ball, referencing Australia’s previous night Test at the venue, where West Indies stunned the hosts earlier in 2024.
“Adelaide’s wicket has more grass, so the ball stays harder for longer,” Smith explained.
“Here it’s a hard, fast wicket, and at times the ball can get soft quickly. You do see batters comfortable in patches, so it’s something we’ll have to assess as the game goes on.”
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