Steve Smith: The Great
Wall of Australia
Australia have regained back the Ashes following a
magnificent double century from the world’s top Test batsman. Steve Smith is
the highest run-scorer in this year’s Ashes Series with an average of 134.20. Smith
now has a bating average of 66.26 against England in England.
England captain Joe Root and his bowlers have tried so many
different plans to dismiss him, but yet again the former Australian Captain
seams to come up with the answers.
Even though Smith suffered from concussion after being stuck
on the head via a bouncer from young speedster Jofra Archer at Lords, it hasn’t
had any affect on his fine display of churning out runs for his country and he
proved that was the case with a fine 211 in the first innings followed by 82 in
the second.
Somerset left-arm spinner Jack Leach did have some success
against Smith who was on 118 not out but unfortunately he overstepped the
bowling crease, so Smith took advantage and made England pay big time.
Some people have already started comparing him with the
great Sir Don Bradman who is known as the greatest batsman of all time and was
a difficult batsman to dismiss. Smith, who started as a Leg spin bowler, has
complete changed his game and has become the world’s best test batsman.
Smith’s unusual, crab-like technique where he walks across
his stumps gives many bowlers a nightmare as they think that he is an LBW
candidate, but then he doesn’t seem to miss the ball. He also has great
judgement around his off stump and knows which balls to play at. This is why he
is so difficult to bowl at, particularly in the Test format. He forces the
bowlers to bowl to his strengths and tests their patience.
If you compare Smith’s technique to players like Root and
Virat Kohli, you always feel like both of those players may give you a few more
opportunities to get them out as they have a more conventional style of batting
which means that you can have more options of getting them out. Smith on the on
the other hand may only give you one chance as he has a slightly more
unorthodox way of batting. Although, it was a bit surprising that Root didn’t
ask Archer to slip in a toe crushing Yorker at the world’s best batsman early
on before he got set as it could have been used as a surprise element. Also bringing
Leach into the attack early on against Smith could have been another option as
Smith doesn’t have a great record against Left-arm spinners.
But England’s challenge of keeping the world’s best batsman
at bay is still not over as the final test at the KIA Oval is looming ever
closer.
Coming back to Smith, what is even more special about his
performance in this Ashes Series is that it has come after a 12-month ban for ball
tampering. In any sport, it can
sometimes be difficult for a professional sportsman, who has come back after a long break to
replicate the form in which he showed prior to the ban, but Smith has shown great
mental strength to come back and resume his remarkable career thus far.
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