Not all cricketers receive the kind of break Steve Smith has just received. Since his previous game three months ago, Smith hasn't picked up a bat, no practice, no shadow swings, nothing. Instead, the ex-Aussie skipper spent time off in New York, far from the cricket world. Smith said to ESPNcricinfo: "I'd normally have a bat lying around the house somewhere and just pick it up and do a bit of shadow batting and stuff. But I made a conscious decision to try and just let it go for a while. It was good." At 36, with ODI retirement behind him and with no IPL commitment, Smith opted to rest fully, a luxury in contemporary cricket few get. Now, however, just a week before the ICC World Test Championship Final against South Africa, Smith has resumed his bat in hand. Two net sessions in Beckenham, and he's back into rhythm gradually. Previously, Smith had scored 73 in a losing effort as Australia was eliminated from the Champions Trophy semi-final against India. But now it's Test cricket, his preferred format. Also Read | BCCI Earns Big from IPL 2025 as RCB Wins First Title Smudge added: "I hadn't hit a ball since I missed a full toss off Mohammed Shami in the Champions Trophy. Fortunately, everything sort of clicked into place immediately. I feel like I'm moving really well, I feel strong and just ready to get into it now." The former Australian skipper told: "Normally how it works is my first hit's good, my second hit's awful, and then I'd get better from there. But both hits were just really good, and I was like, hopefully it doesn't turn around now and I don't have to spend hours in the nets the next couple of days." Also Read | IND vs ENG Test Series: 5 England Players Who Can Trouble India Steve Smith's Golden Run in English Conditions When it's England, Steve Smith changes colors. He has scored 2,255 runs there at 55. Particularly at Lord's, his favorite overseas venue, Smith averages more than 55 and had a century in his previous Test there. With 525 runs, he is the fourth highest run scorer as a visiting batter at Lord's in Test cricket. Could this be the last game he plays at Lord's? With the next Ashes not in England until 2027, the chances are yes.' Smith asserted: "I think it's probably, outside of Sydney, my favourite ground to play at. The history, the surface itself. It always takes a few balls just to get used to that slope. One end you feel like you're standing really tall, the other end you feel like you're falling over a little bit. But the ball races away, both up the hill and down the hill."