Steve Smith adopts innovative eye black in Ashes Test
Steve Smith’s appearance at The Gabba prompted immediate curiosity on the second evening of the Ashes Test, not for his batting stance or meticulous routines, but for the conspicuous strips of black tape positioned beneath his eyes, reports BritPanorama.
The 36-year-old, captaining Australia in Pat Cummins’ absence, entered under the pink-ball floodlights with what looked more like an NFL accessory than traditional cricket equipment. The strips, known universally in American sports as “eye black,” are designed to reduce glare and sharpen contrast in bright or artificial light.
They are used widely in the NFL and Major League Baseball, though rarely in cricket; the most notable previous adopter being former West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Smith confirmed that the innovation was deliberate, researched, and rooted in coping with the unique demands of day-night Test cricket. “I actually messaged Shivnarine Chanderpaul and asked him what his thoughts were, whether he wore the chalk or the strips,” Smith said beforehand.
Chanderpaul’s insights proved valuable. “He said the strips, and he thinks it blocks out 65 per cent 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 explained. “I agree with him. I think it certainly stops the glare. Yeah, I’ll be wearing them.”
With Brisbane’s Test staged under lights, Smith’s objective is clear: to pick up the fast-moving pink ball earlier and more cleanly, particularly during the unpredictable twilight period when visibility is paramount. Scientific debate around the exact effectiveness of eye black continues, but athletes who use it assert that the strips help differentiate light from shadow, improving clarity at high speed.
For a player as methodical as Smith, even marginal gains justify the adjustment. He elaborated on the challenge of batting with the pink ball, noting that the visual dynamics change rapidly across the evening. “It’s a tricky one,” he admitted. “The ball reacts obviously differently to a red one. It can change quickly. It can start moving randomly.”
Smith’s decision comes during a Test in which Australia needed composure after England, buoyed by Joe Root’s century on the opening day, made a strong first impression at the historic venue. England opener Zak Crawley acknowledged the intensity of conditions under lights, stating that the efforts of Root and Jofra Archer had put them in a good position.
Smith made a notable immediate return on his innovation, scoring a fluid half-century shortly after the dinner break. Whether the eye-black will remain for the remainder of the series remains to be seen, but after consulting Chanderpaul, Smith seems unlikely to abandon them while the pink ball continues to swing under the glare.
As the match progresses, Smith’s adjustment serves as a reminder of how small innovations can echo through the long history of cricket, pushing the boundaries of what can be done to master the game.
