Hold onto your helmets, cricket fans! Aussie batting superstar Steve Smith is pulling a page straight from the NFL playbook for the Second Test against England.

The former Australian captain is prepping to sport black strips under his eyes, a trick more commonly seen on American football fields than cricket pitches.

Why the sudden gridiron glam? Smith's hoping this "eye black" will cut through the glare and help him spot the pink ball like a hawk under the Brisbane floodlights.

Think it's a newfangled fad? Think again! The legendary Babe Ruth himself was rocking eye black almost a century ago. And seven-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady was a true believer too.

Smith is taking inspiration from the late Shivnarine Chanderpaul who was a West Indies legend, racking up an astounding 11,867 runs in 164 Tests, also swore by the practice, regularly sporting black tape under his eyes.

Could Smith's time spent Stateside, chilling in his New York apartment, have sparked this transatlantic trend? Perhaps!

He's already been spotted sporting the eye black during practice sessions leading up to the big match. Will it give him an edge against the English bowlers?

Teammate Marnus Labuschagne is definitely intrigued. "There must be some sort of science or theory around it," he mused.

Labuschagne speculates it could be about combating the glare, especially the light bouncing off the pitch. Anything to help snag that ball a little faster!

But even if it's just a mind game, Labuschagne isn't knocking it. "If it doesn’t work but feels like it works then, both ways, it works," he wisely stated.

Talk about a teammate having your back! Labuschagne added, "I’d love nothing more than seeing Smudge stroll out with the Shivnarines and smacking the bowlers everywhere."

After a fairly comfortable first test win in Perth last month, the Aussies are riding high.

However, they're clearly not resting on their laurels. Every little advantage counts when you're battling for Ashes glory!

But will these so-called advantages pay dividends when the two sides meet in the middle on the pitch?

Will the eye black revolutionize cricket, or just be a quirky footnote in Ashes history?

Only time will tell if Smith's NFL-inspired look translates into runs on the board. But one thing's for sure: all eyes will be on him!

So, get ready for some serious cricketing action this weekend. And keep an eye out for Smith's new look – it might just be the key to another Aussie victory!

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