That’s because the western grip imparts more top spin on the ball, meaning more height over the net and more chance of landing safely inside the baseline in tennis terms. But in cricket, where hitting the ball further offers more value, something flatter or even back spun can bring rich rewards.

“I was probably top spinning it, as opposed to back spinning it and letting the ball go up and away further,” Smith explained. “I thought I back spun a couple of nice ones tonight. The ball just travels a lot better when you do that.

“It’s been a nice adjustment for me, I feel like I’m batting well in all forms of the game. Hopefully I can continue scoring some runs and helping firstly the Sixers and then the Aussies after that.”

On some level, Federer’s retirement from tennis in September 2022 may have aided Cricket Australia in its efforts to bring Smith back to the BBL following a similar deal for David Warner, because it lessened the temptation for an Australian Open visit in late January between Test match assignments.

Smith’s admiration for Federer has been long-running. Back in 2017, he spoke about the sort of cricketer Federer might have been. The same year, Smith indulged in a promotional hit of tennis with the Canadian pro Milos Raonic on a court at Melbourne Park.

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“I kind of liken him a bit to Mark Waugh, who was my favourite cricketer growing up. He just made everything look so easy and effortless,” Smith had said of Federer. “I see similarities in the way that those two go about their business in the respective sports. I think he’d be very stylish and just make it look easy.”

As for the back flare-up, Smith said that if anything, it had helped him to stay low on the ball for an SCG surface that rewarded that kind of posture.

“I’m struggling to get upright, I can bend down alright. Getting into extension is probably not ideal,” he said. “But it probably helped me in my batting and kept me a bit lower in my shots for a bit longer on that wicket. It’s a bit stiff, but hopefully I’ll pull up OK.”