Smith hasn't played competitive cricket since The Hundred in the UK, which ended in August. Since coming back from New York last week, he's done three net sessions and will face bowlers for the first time on Tuesday to begin his preparations for the Ashes next month.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, the 36-year-old cautioned that he was at his peak fitness in anticipation of a busy summer at home.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been training quite hard. I\u2019ve been doing a lot of lifting, trying to get a bit stronger. I did all my strength tests yesterday and they\u2019re as good as they\u2019ve ever been. I feel like I\u2019m ready for a big summer,\u201d Smith told reporters on Tuesday, as quoted by Fox Sports.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Smith plans to participate in two Sheffield Shield games prior to the first Test against England: next week\u2019s match versus Queensland in Brisbane and the November game against Victoria at the Sydney Cricket Ground.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been training quite hard. I\u2019ve been doing a lot of lifting, trying to get a bit stronger. I did all my strength tests yesterday and they\u2019re as good as they\u2019ve ever been. I feel like I\u2019m ready for a big summer,\u201d Smith told reporters on Tuesday, as quoted by Fox Sports.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI feel like I certainly get drained mentally quicker than I probably used to. I know that when I play a lot at the start, by the end of the summer, I\u2019m pretty cooked mentally and probably can\u2019t produce the same performances. There\u2019s obviously a balance, but I don\u2019t think it takes me much now to get up to game speed. I want to try and stay as mentally fresh as possible,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n