Ashes 2025, Gabba: After Jake Weatherald’s maiden Test fifty, captain Steve Smith walked out to bat in front of a buzzing Gabba crowd on Friday. As he made his way to the middle, the expected boos from the English fans echoed across the stadium—but Smith appeared unfazed. He settled into his usual rhythm almost instantly, handling the English bowling with ease and drawing attention online for the black anti-glare strips under his eyes.
However, even a batter as composed as Smith had a rare moment of distraction. As Ben Stokes ran in to deliver, Smith briefly lost focus—not because of the bowler, but due to an Australian fan in a yellow jersey who was finding his seat after what appeared to be a rather spirited break. The fan’s stumbling movement caught Smith’s eye, leading to a quick pause before he reset and continued batting.
Steve Smith Distracted by a mythical Aussie Superhuman
🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/oO8BebHLHH— Robbo (@BommaBob) December 5, 2025
Why is Steve Smith wearing anti-glare strips?
Ahead of the day-night Test, Smith was spotted in the nets using the black strips. When asked about it, he revealed an interesting backstory involving legendary West Indies batter Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
“I actually messaged Shivnarine Chanderpaul and asked him what his thoughts were—whether he wore the chalk or the strips. He said the strips, and he thinks it blocks out 65 percent of the glare. And he also said, ‘I’ve seen photos and you’re wearing them the wrong way’. So yesterday I put them on the right way,” Smith said in the pre-match press conference.
He added that the strips significantly reduce glare during the pink-ball Test, helping him see the ball more clearly under lights.
Match situation
At the time of filing, dinner had been taken on Day 2, with Australia 243 for 3, still trailing by 91 runs. Smith and Cameron Green remained unbeaten, steering Australia’s response under the lights at the Gabba.
