From Milwaukee to Brisbane: The story behind Steve Smith's 'Eye Black'

Australian captain Steve Smith is set to use baseball-style black stickers under his eyes, known as Eye Black, during the second Test in Brisbane to combat glare from the pink ball under lights.

The idea originated with Nathan Lyon, who reached out to Sean Walsh for assistance. Walsh, a member of the Australian Deaf cricket team and media marketing manager for the Brisbane Bandits, connected with Shaun O'Brien of the Bandits, who has ties to the Milwaukee Brewers MLB team. O'Brien arranged the eye stickers through Leading Edge, a local baseball and softball goods store.

Smith tested the stickers during a net session, initially batting without them before complaining of glare. After applying them, he exclaimed, "I can actually see the ball," and continued using them with minor adjustments. The stickers became a talking point in Australia's training, with teammates like Marnus Labuschagne dubbing them "Shivnarines" in reference to Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Smith joked about potential sponsorship for the stickers, similar to Chanderpaul's approach. While commonly used in baseball to differentiate light and dark, Smith's positive experience makes it likely he will wear them during the Gabba Test starting Thursday.

O'Brien, initially unaware of Smith's fame, realized his star power after clips of the stickers went viral online. The eye blacks are expected to gain further attention as Smith brings this baseball-inspired accessory to the Ashes.