Why is Steve Smith wearing black tape under his eyes in the Ashes?

To those eagle-eyed viewers who may have spotted Steve Smith sporting black war paint on his face for Australia’s second Ashes Test against England – no, you’re not seeing things.

Smith captained Australia to a crushing eight-wicket victory last time out in Perth, ensuring the hosts went 1-0 up in this winter’s intriguing five-match series.

But while it was Smith that stepped up as skipper in the absence of the injured Pat Cummins, all the plaudits went to Travis Head on the second and final day at Optus Stadium.

Head’s blistering century came in just 69 balls and the tourists simply had no answer as the 31-year-old bludgeoned the second-fastest ton in Ashes history and the third-fastest by an Australian in any Test match.

It was the tenth century of Head’s Test career and his third in Ashes cricket.

After Head was eventually dismissed for 123, it fell to Marnus Labuschagne and Smith to get Australia over the line and complete the humbling of England.

But after scoring 17 and 2* across his two innings in the first Test, Smith will undoubtedly be hoping to make a greater contribution in the pink-ball contest and moving forwards in the series.

At the Gabba, Smith – the No.4 Test batter in the world – has gone to unusual lengths to give himself the best possible chance with the bat, wearing black tape under his eyes in order to improve his vision and better spot the moving ball in the day-night Test.

Why is Steve Smith wearing black tape?

Smith made the decision to use the anti-glare strips under his eyes after reaching out for some advice from West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who was renowned for adopting the striking look during his illustrious Test career.

The Australian batsman later confirmed he would be using the strips – often referred to as ‘eye blacks – for the pink-ball Test after claiming to have noticed a positive impact in training.

Natural skin absorbs some light, but reflects the rest. Chanderpaul and Smith – and countless other sportspeople throughout history – hold the belief that this reflection can cause glare and impair vision.

Black strips are supposed to prevent this by absorbing all of the light which, in theory, makes it easier to track a ball when in mid-air.

‘I actually messaged Shivnarine Chanderpaul and asked him what his thoughts were, whether he wore the chalk or the strips,’ Smith told reporters in the build-up.

‘He said it was 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.

‘I agree with him. I think it certainly stops the glare. Yeah, I’ll be wearing them.’

Joe Root – still chasing his maiden 100 in Australia – received some stick Down Under after questioning the need for a pink-ball Test in the Ashes in the build-up to the Brisbane Test.

While Smith has stopped short of matching Root’s comments, he has been open with the challenges he has encountered when batting in the ‘tricky’ conditions posed by day-night matches.

In day-night Tests, Smith has notched up just one century, with an average of 37.04. By contrast, he boasts an average of 58.31 while accumulating 35 hundreds in day matches.

‘It’s hard to bat all the time,’ Smith explained when asked about the difference between batting in twilight and complete darkness.

‘It’s a tricky one. The ball reacts obviously differently to a red one. It can change quickly. It can start moving randomly.

‘You’ve got to try and play what’s in front of you at that time and when it does shift on you and the ball starts doing something different, you’ve got to try and come up with plans to counter that, whether it be more aggressive, whether it be going to your shell and trying to get through that period.

‘Everyone’s different. It’s trying to be one step ahead when it does start to shift.’

Does the tape actually work?

There have been a number of tests carried out throughout history to determine whether or not ‘eye black’ can have a meaningful affect in the sporting arena.

While Babe Ruth adopted the look in baseball way back in the 1930s, there was a been a distinct lack of scientific analysis on the topic in the near-century that has passed.

It is widely acknowledged that eye black can improve an athlete’s ability to determine between light and dark in their vision, which would appear to aid batsmen in tracking a moving ball.

However, when it comes to the technique’s effectiveness in eliminating glare, there have been some conflicting studies.

One study conducted by Yale University found that eye black helped to reduce glare while also improving contrast sensitivity. However, that test was subject to unavoidable learning bias.

A separate University of New Hampshire study found that eye black only made a noticeable impact from short distances. This study was ultimately deemed insignificant, though, due to its small sample size.

According to the BBC, a 2008 episode of US science programme MythBusters determined that there was no significant difference in removing glare when using eye black compared to light coloured make-up.

Which other sportspeople have worn black eye tape?

Eye black is commonplace in several American sports and has been used by some of the most high-profile figures in baseball and NFL down the years.

In baseball, Babe Ruth – who many consider to be the greatest player of all time – wore a black, greasy substance under his eyes in an attempt to reduce glare from both sunlight and stadium lights.

Ruth is widely credited with starting the trend, with the likes of Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge and Rey Ordonez following in his footsteps in recent times.

Tom Brady is perhaps the best known adopter of eye black when it comes to American football.

The legendary quarterback was said to have been convinced that the technique absorbed the light that would otherwise have hit his eyes during games.

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