Australia will begin their campaign against England on Saturday, but the 50-over champions will be missing the services of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc due to multiple reasons.
Further, injuries to Mitchell Marsh and the shock retirement of Marcus Stoinis has hampered their case too.
Also Read: Why did Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s son Agni quit Indian domestic cricket to sign for MI New York?
“We haven’t done well in the Champions Trophy compared to other ICC events but I think the pressure of playing tournaments always brings out the best in us,” Smith said at a pre-match conference here on Friday.
Smith further brushed aside the fact that they are the reigning World Cup winners, since the Champions Trophy is a different tournament altogether.
“I think in the Champions Trophy you have to be focussed from the start and in the last World Cup we were slow to get started and we were under the pump and then we brought our best at the backend of the tournament,” he said.
“In the Champions Trophy you can’t be slow and that is our message to our group of players. It is basically you are playing quarterfinals from the start so you just have to be switched on,” he added.
Smith added that the Champions Trophy is a platform for the youngsters in the squad to maximise their potential.
“There is always pressure in international tournaments and we are obviously missing our proven fast bowlers but we are not worried thinking about it as this also offers opportunities to those who are in the team now.”
Smith further mentioned that Australia have quality brimming int heir ranks and that they are looking forward to put that to test against quality oppositions.
“It is a great opportunity for the younger players to showcase their talent in a world event.”
First Published: Feb 21, 2025 8:41 PM IST
