Last Updated on 1 year by Charbel Coorey

Cricket News: Will The Oval pitch spin? Steve Smith thinks so | Steve Smith believes The Oval pitch may behave similar to the Indian pitches

Steve Smith recently spoke about the World Test Championship 2023 Final with cricket.com.au, and mentioned that at some stage of the game, they may face similarities to how the pitches in India behaved.

The WTC Final is set to take place at The Oval in London. Typically, the pitch is wonderful to bat on and has good pace and bounce on offer. However, Steve Smith believes that as the game progresses, spin may come into play. As a result, Australia may have to face a situation similar to the one they faced on the turning tracks of India earlier this year.

“The Oval can present itself with some spin occasionally, particularly as the game wears on so we could face some sort of similarities to what we had in India at certain stages of the game,” said Smith.

“But The Oval is a wonderful place to play cricket in,” he continued. “Lightning fast outfield, the square goes whole way across the ground so it is a nice place to bat when you get in and has some decent pace and bounce for an English surface. Should be an absolute cracker.”

The Oval pitch: Spinners could play a role if conditions are dry

If one was to go by Steve Smith’s analysis of the pitch, it surely brings Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Nathan Lyon into play. There has been a lot of talk regarding the number of pacers both teams should play, and many think going with four pacers would be the right thing to do.

Although that would not be a surprise keeping in mind the English conditions, Steve Smith’s words may just make a case for Ravichandran Ashwin’s inclusion in the India team in particular.

Ashwin has taken 25 wickets in four games this year, averaging a brilliant 17.28. His Australian counterpart, Nathan Lyon, has taken 24 wickets in five games this year. His average of 25.50 in 2023 so far is his second best ever in a calendar year where he has bowled a minimum of 100 overs in Test cricket. So, both could play in this game.

ALSO READ: India possible playing XI for WTC 2023 Final

Steve Smith has a great record at The Oval

Steve Smith has scored 391 runs in three games at The Oval. The batter averages a phenomenal 97.75 at the venue.

In his brief interview ahead of the mega event, he also talked about how he is expecting massive crowds for the game. He thinks and hopes the two sides will produce an absolute belter of a game.

The ICC World Test Championship Final for the 2021-23 cycle commences on Wednesday, June 7. With the two sides in good form, we should have a cracker that does justice to all the hype around it.