Some of the top Australian cricketers including former skipper Steve Smith have resumed training on Monday at the Sydney Olympic Park. Smith said that he is in his best shape in years after the coronavirus break forced him to stay away from the game for two months and focused on physical and mental fitness.

David Warner and Mitchell Starc were among those who turned up for training as the domestic pre-season has begun but behind closed doors. Australia is one of the least-affected countries from coronavirus with little over 7000 cases reported as of now.

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“I’m probably in the best shape I’ve been in in years, doing lots of running, lots of gym stuff at home. It’s been a couple of months of good hard work,” Smith was quoted as saying by the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’. (via PTI)

Cricket Australia had earlier announced the international cricket season last week, scheduled to begin from 9 August.

Smith, who loves shadow batting as much as he loves being in the middle and scoring runs, did not even pick up a bat for the duration of the coronavirus enforced break.

“I haven’t touched a bat, really. A couple of little drills at home but that’s about it. I’ve just tried to switch off from it a bit, which I don’t do very often. I was just focusing on getting myself fit and strong and refreshing mentally,” he said.

“I’ve done a few master classes at home (with fans online) … but other than that I really haven’t picked up a cricket bat.

“It’s been a bit different but I’m sure in the long run it will probably be a good thing to freshen up after a pretty long year and a half since the World Cup and Ashes,” he added.

The Australian cricket team’s support staff is all set to be down-sized for cutting costs since there has been a financial loss for Cricket Australia.

“They all have a role to play, particularly as the game has evolved and got more professional. We’ve got people in different areas of expertise to help the team prepare and get ready to play. If that happens it will take some adjusting,” Smith said.

“If that’s the case, it’ll be about guys being able to help each other out as well, particularly senior players being able to take a bit of time off your own game and help someone else out at training or something like that,” he added.