Year 2006. The wizard of Australian cricket, Shane Warne, hung his boots from test cricket. His legacy was unmatched, his contemporary spin partner Stuart McGill too was aged and took retirement in 2008. Australian selectors fell into furnace as finding the heirloom of Shane Warne became an ordeal for them.
Extrapolating 2008, U19 world cup in Malaysia. Australia became 6th in that edition of juvenile world cup. But one cricketer from that team came to the cynosure of Australian cricketing fraternity. None other than - Steve Smith. He scored only 114 at an average of meagre 28.50. And picked up just 7 wickets at a bowling average of 17. Nothing special in these stats to draw the attention of that all-conquering Australia. But what anomaly in Smith was his bowling action which was corresponding to magician Warne and as a result he got the eyes of Australian selectors. They rushed him to his debut and Smith got his elusive Baggy Green at Lord's against Pakistan in 2010.
The pressure was immense, and Smith couldn't cope up with that. Obviously, the pressure will be high as becoming Shane Warne is like 'cold day in hell'. Smith got axed from the team and had to fine tune in Sheffield Shield to get the nod again. But Smith's below average outing for Baggy Green as a leg spinner saw himself going under tough scrutiny from Aussie media. He altered his vision and unearthed his batting maestro. As a result, he wanted to be a batter from a leggie. The shifting wasn’t new as Sanath Jayasuriya, Shoaib Malik etc have done before. What's the toughest thing was his batting technique. It doesn’t go with the grammar of cricketing batting mantra. That's unorthodox, eccentric and odd as well. His personal coaches suggested him to change the way he bats, but he didn't do it.
His reincarnation in international Cricket was in 2013 in India tour when the homework saga happened and Aussie coach Mickey Arthur suspended four cricketers and then Smith got a chance as a batter. He scored 92 on that occasion on a turning deck at Mohali and cemented his place in the side. But the breakthrough innings of his career was at Centurion against the peak pace trio of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander. Australia were stuttering at 98-4 and Smith came to bat at number 6 and scored a fine hundred [100] which is considered as the breakthrough moment of his career.
He didn’t have to look back since then. In the period between 2014-2019, Smith played 56 matches and scored 6,194 runs at a jaw dropping average of 72.02 and struck 24 centuries. The second best in that period was Kane Williamson with his 61.95 average. Smith's first innings record is ridiculous as his 22 off 32 centuries came in the first innings, which is the most ever, bettering Ricky Pointing's 21. He averages 87.24 in the first innings; the second best is Brian Lara's 70.17. Smith's away average makes him one of the best travellers ever in test cricket as he averages 55.60 away from home and has 16 centuries to his name. He averages 40+ against every team except Bangladesh [29.7]. Albeit he played only 2 tests against team tigers. He has second most hundreds in the Ashes [12] only right behind of Don Bradman [19]. He is the only player to breach 9,000 run milestone before playing 100 tests [99]. Among the 106 players to have made 5,000+ runs in test cricket, Steve Smith's career average of 59.56 is thwarted by only the Don's 99.94. The best since Bradman they say. Barring his batting stats, his catching records are staggering as well. He took 160 catches by playing only 99 matches and his catches/innings ratio is 0.851 which is the second best after Stephen Fleming's 0.859.
In Steve Smith's cusp period, he had a year to forget. 24 March 2018. Cape town. The sandpaper gate scandal happened. Smith got a ban of one year from CA. The meteoric rise and the dream run got its epilogue as coming back to the team and getting supports from everyone became another challenge for him. The denounce from media enforced him to be ravaged. When that insolent year finally came to an end, he got an elbow injury. As a result, he had to go under the knives and out of cricket for three months. He knew the stigma [sandpaper gate issue] will always follow him, but thwarting the stigma was his only target after the ban.
The top three Steven Smith masterclass over the 99 matches:
Breaching Edgbaston fortress:
Australia lost 2019 World Cup semi-final for the very first time in the history against a fearless England side. Ashes was coming and Australia didn’t win Ashes in England for 18 years. Two of Australian best batters - Steve Smith and David Warner were coming into the Aussie side after 12 months of ban. Coming out to bat, Australia found themself in deep sea as they lost two quick wickets scoring only 17. And then the most awaiting moment was over, the best test batter of this generation came to bat. The atmosphere was against him, the raucous English crowd kept booing him, they showed him sandpapers, they mocked him, trolled him. Broad and Anderson were breathing fire with the duke under cloudy condition. The English bowlers dismantled the Aussie batting lineup in a flash and Aussies were crumbling for 122-8. Smith and veteran pacer Peter Siddle stitched an excellent 9th wicket partnership worthy of 88 runs. Moeen Ali scalped Siddle when he was only 6 away from his half century. Smith already got his fifty and was eyeing for his hundred. When he was batting on 99* and the commentary came as:
"Smith has played through the covers for four to complete his century and his normal service resumes." The greatest ever comeback was made that day. He scored another hundred [142] in the second innings and became first batter to score twin hundreds in Ashes since Matthew Hayden's 197 and 103 at the Gabba in 2002-2003. England's eleven batters put together could only manage four runs more than Steve Smith scored by himself. Australia won the match by 251 runs and that was the first win for Aussies at Edgbaston since 2001. The colosseum which was against him at the start of the match had to give a stand ovation for his majestic domination over England.
Mauling down India’s domination at home:
Pune 2017. A rank turner or can define the pitch as a minefield. India haven’t lost a single test match since 2012. Smith's first outing as skipper in India. Smith won the toss and elected to bat first. Australia managed to score only 260 in the first innings with the help of Matt Renshaw and Mitchell Starc's fifties. India were rattled by the Aussie spin duo of Nathan Lyon and Steven O'keffe and could manage to score only 105. In the second innings of Australia, Steve Smith depicted an all-time great innings in sub-continent and scored 109 where any other batter couldn’t even cross 30. India were 4 runs short in the first innings and 2 short in the second innings of Smith's 109. Australia won the match by 333 runs and India lost a test match at home for the very first time since 2012.
Setting the tone for the Ashes 2017:
First match of the Australian summer, English skipper Joe Root won the toss and elected to bat first and they got a decent total in the board, 302. In reply, Aussie batters fumbled. Cameron Bancroft and David Warner got out cheaply, Khawaja scored only 11 and Moeen Ali trapped him in front of his pads for LBW. Then Smith came to the crease, didn't get any support from other batters. Handscomb and Tim Paine too followed the dressing room. Shaun Marsh stood at the middle with Smith and he got a fifty but threw his wicket away immediately after reaching half century. Smith had to fight with lower order batters. Smith and Cummins together added 67 runs for the 8th wicket. Smith was not out till the end and scored 141. He helped Australia having a handy lead of 26 runs. England made only 195 and gave Australia a target of 173 and they chased it with 10 wickets in hands.
Smith doesn't follow the hackeyed rules of batting grammar. He is a whodunit to the bowlers. He is that cliffhanger you turn on radio to listen to. Smith is an enigma, that enigma you can never solve. Every time Smith rises his bat after century, that seems like an artist doing graffiti. The emerald of modern-day test cricket, the stalwart of Aussie batting line-up, best since Don. The gallantry he oozed, the legacy he put on the game will always be remembered and followed by the subsequent generation.
