Australian captain Steve Smith shook off a minor back injury to blast his way back into form ahead of the first Test against England while Matthew Wade failed to lock down his Ashes spot after another batting failure for Tasmania.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Smith scored 76 from 130 balls as NSW compiled 7-254 against Western Australia before day one of their Sheffield Shield clash at Hurstville Oval ended half an hour early for bad light.
That was despite tweaking his back early on running between the wickets, for which he received some treatment on the field and more later in the afternoon once he was dismissed.
Wade wasn't so fortunate in Hobart, falling for just nine runs as Tasmania crumbled to be all out for 186 against Queensland. The Australian wicketkeeper has now been dismissed for three single-figure scores in three Shield knocks this season.
NSW keeper Peter Nevill will aim to take full advantage on Sunday when he resumes unbeaten on 32 alongside Pat Cummins (19).
For Smith, Saturday marked a timely return to form, his elegant knock in tricky batting conditions his biggest score since compiling 111 in March in the fourth Test against India.
He said it was the best he'd felt in the middle in recent times, and was confident his back complaint wouldn't cause him any extra trouble this summer.
"It's a little bit sore, but I've had these episodes before, they usually pass over pretty quickly so I'm feeling a bit better this afternoon with a bit of treatment," Smith said.
"Coming from having played a lot of cricket in the subcontinent, [there was] just a few different things that I had to fix up. Playing back here in Australia or the bouncier wickets I usually play with quite closed hands. I felt like I got that back today.
"When I play in India and places like that I like to open my grip up a little bit to try and hit a bit straighter and access the off side. I don't feel like you can hit 'off' as easily in those conditions.
"Changing back this time it's taken longer than it normally does but nothing that time in the middle doesn't fix. I've certainly felt a lot better today.
"It would've been nice to go on and get a big one but it's nice to spend some time in the middle all the same. It was pretty hard work to be honest, bit of moisture in the wicket, it was doing a little bit."
Smith's knock anchored the Blues' innings, and he was the only one for NSW to pass 50.
Daniel Hughes failed to press his claims for the up-for-grabs No.6 Ashes spot after Smith's recent endorsement, dismissed for 25 off 51 balls.
Mitchell Starc made an entertaining 43 down the order, enjoying a 59-run stand with Nevill, who used 87 balls in a measured and patient knock.
Alex Carey, the third contender for that Test wicketkeeping spot, was dismissed for 36 late in the day for South Australia against Victoria.
"He looked good today, very solid, left well, waited for balls in his areas to hit, it looks like he's hitting the ball really well," Smith said of Nevill's efforts.
"It's nice when guys around him are quite aggressive, Starc, Cummins et cetera usually play their shots. Having someone that's a bit more conservative as such and can bat with the tail, it's a nice thing to have.
"Last week in Adelaide I think he was probably a little bit unlucky with his dismissal in the first innings."
Western Australia pair Shaun Marsh and Hilton Cartwright are still to bat as they look to lay claim to the Australian No.6 batting slot.
Travis Head notched a well-timed 67 for South Australia to remind selectors of his Ashes suitability while Victorian Glenn Maxwell is also yet to stride to the crease.
"It'd be good if someone could really just jump out of the pack and get a big score and just make it irresistible to select them," Smith said.
