Does Steve Smith have a place in our Twenty20 side?

dajesmac

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Steve Smith cops a lot of hate both on and off the internet, mostly because of his ugly, ineffective bowling and his somewhat unorthadox batting technique, but surely it cannot be denied he has something to offer at the game's shortest format. As a specialist batsman.

Admittedly his stats aren't great, but it seems in the BBL and this current IPL tournament he has been performing well with the bat and in the field. As I type this he is swinging Pune away closer to an upset victory.

So the question I pose is, would he be a good candidate for the World Twenty20 this September?

And what about James Faulkner?

EDIT: Just hit a four and a six to clinch a last over victory for Pune. 44* off 22 balls.
 

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Doodlesweaver

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#2
Steve Smith cops a lot of hate both on and off the internet, mostly because of his ugly, ineffective bowling and his somewhat unorthadox batting technique, but surely it cannot be denied he has something to offer at the game's shortest format. As a specialist batsman.

Admittedly his stats aren't great, but it seems in the BBL and this current IPL tournament he has been performing well with the bat and in the field. As I type this he is swinging Pune away closer to an upset victory.

So the question I pose is, would he be a good candidate for the World Twenty20 this September?

And what about James Faulkner?

EDIT: Just hit a four and a six to clinch a last over victory for Pune. 44* off 22 balls.
This is down to him improving his game sense, I think. He's young so he should be improving. But the quality of the bowling in domestic T20 can be quite ropey.
 

Carbine Chaos

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#3
He's batted very well in the IPL so far, and he's an amazing fieldsman. Also think his bowling can be effective in the shorter formats too.
 

Doodlesweaver

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He's batted very well in the IPL so far, and he's an amazing fieldsman. Also think his bowling can be effective in the shorter formats too.
Fantastic fielder, makes difficult catches look easy - by excellent reflexes and very good judgement - like Andrew Symonds used to.
 

dajesmac

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Exactly.

However personally I'd like him to improve his bowling a little before we risk bowling him internationally. He's not even bowling in the IPL at the moment.
 

Bucking Beads

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#6
I think he is good enough to be in our squad for the T20 world cup. He is a very good player in the shorter forms. Would like to see him bowl more but maybe he has decided just to be a batsmen
 

dan warna

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#7
pick the best players on form.

If he's proven himself then select him.

He generates a lot of negative press because he was selected on 'potential' and given a 500k contract on 'potential'.

If he is starting to deliver, 2 years down the track, then give him a shot again if he's in the best 12/13.
 

Carbine Chaos

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Exactly.

However personally I'd like him to improve his bowling a little before we risk bowling him internationally. He's not even bowling in the IPL at the moment.
I think that's more about the multitude of spinning options Pune has than his ability with the pill though.
 

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#9
Well his actual bowling stats in T20 say it all. I think he should be closer to playing as 2nd spinner than he is.

The main problem for Smith has been he's not a very good big hitter. And he's been batting at 6/7. Now, he's pretty good at steering home a chase where wickets left is a bigger problem than RRR, to the extent that if batting at 7, I'd rather him come in with 70-80 to get and 120-130 balls left, than 40-45 to get with 25-30 balls left. But he's been pretty trash at big hitting. However in recent games in the IPL, and once or twice in the BBL, he's actually played a couple of big hitting innings. If he's added this to the game, he's a no-brainer for me. But he's left his run yet. I'm not sure how many opportunities he'll have post-IPL to prove if he's added this.
 

dajesmac

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Perhaps. A strong tactic that's very evident in the IPL (and Twenty20 in general I suppose) is using a lot of spin at the beginning of the innings. We're not exactly endowed with great spin stocks, so it would be a big bonus for Smith to be able to bowl a couple of overs.

With Smith, Hogg and Dussey as our spin options in a tournament held in the subcontinent, we could be competitive.

Having said that though I am still unconvinced about Smith's bowling.
 

BarneyBent

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#11
Definitely vying for one. The hate against Smith is far too strong. He's a very effective T20 spinner. He's expensive, but he gets wickets, and the more T20 that is played, the more it is realised that wickets are everything. Economy is more important in 50 over cricket than T20. His T20 batting is improving as well (and if he'd been picked for the Test team in form, people would have realised that he's actually a very good batsman in the longer forms).

IMO, he's in the best 11 T20 players in the country.
 

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FRUMPY

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#13
doesnt deserve it on form for australia but will definetly get another go somewhere down the track if he keeps improving. not sure gets a game at present. Finch ahead of him as a batsmen and cant get a game. Doesnt bowl well enough to be classed as an alrounder.
 

dajesmac

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I wouldn't say Finch can't get a game. Played in both our recent home T20Is, and averages 104.00 from 3 matches, so he's not going to get dropped. I'd say he, like Hogg, was told to go play in the IPL/BPL to develop their Twenty20 games, instead of going to play two games against the Windies. Though I realise that's not your point. But surely if Smith keeps up his current improvement trajectory over the course of the tournament you'd think he'd be a good chance?

Faulkner, Hodge and Birt are three other players I'm interested in hearing about. Birt had a great BBL did he not?
 

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#16
Doesnt bowl well enough to be classed as an alrounder.
yeah you can say that...but then Doherty has played the last 4 T20's for Aus (might have missed one. cbf checking.) and Smith's T20 bowling stats piss all over his ones. In part because of the 10 odd wickets he took at the 2010 T20 WC. I'm not sure if he's in the best 11, but depending on what the other 10 players in the team, I don't think you should be ruling him out. Of course, Clarke has to actually want to bowl him.
 

Torz

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#17
@dajesmac - Birt had an awesome BBL, was smashing them to all parts consistently. Played one T20 and hasn't been heard of since. Is he playing IPL? Not sure I've seen his name mentioned.
 

dajesmac

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Listed as a Delhi Daredevil "Withdrawn Player". Interesting. That might hurt his World Twenty20 chances you'd think. I'd forgotten Birt played one of those Twenty20s in Feb.
 

Carbine Chaos

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Listed as a Delhi Daredevil "Withdrawn Player". Interesting. That might hurt his World Twenty20 chances you'd think. I'd forgotten Birt played one of those Twenty20s in Feb.
Birt was looking like a potentially important player for us this season...but then we signed Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene, Ross Taylor and Andre Russell.

Fair to say he wouldn't have gotten a game.
 

4evablues

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#20
Im sure Smith will make it back in the team in the future. He's young and very talented.

Wouldn't have him in my 11 at the moment. But all the cricket and experience he is getting will only help his cause.

I would even love to see him in the test team in the future!
 

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#21
I don't mind Steve Smith. I think his a talented cricketer that will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in Australian cricket in the next 10 years.

I don't think leg spin is the type of craft that you can master as an all-rounder.

I think Smith needs to forget about bowling and focus on his batting. Racking up good numbers at FC level and pushing for a spot in the Australian side once Ponting and Hussey have retired.

Can see Smith slotting into 6.

Needs to tighten his technique, dont get me wrong.

But it is absurd some of the hate directed towards Smith.
 

4evablues

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#22
I don't think leg spin is the type of craft that you can master as an all-rounder.
It's hard to try and be strong with bat and leg spin bowling. His bowling in 20/20 cricket is not amazing but still has the ability to be effective with the ball.

He needs consistency with line and length...especially in the shorter formats!
 

Gee Dub

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#23
I've always been a fan of Smith. He could play a Dave Hussey type role in limited overs cricket where he is used primarily as a batsman but can bowl some overs and pick up a couple of wickets. The excellent fielding doesn't hurt either.
 

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#24
It's hard to try and be strong with bat and leg spin bowling. His bowling in 20/20 cricket is not amazing but still has the ability to be effective with the ball.

He needs consistency with line and length...especially in the shorter formats!
He needs to get some ability to turn the ball mostly. He only turns it on really fizzing pitches. I think he's reasonably accurate for such a young bowler.

Should concentrate on batting.
 

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Thread starter #25
His bowling is never going to have much penetration. He seems to be the bowler who cashes in on batsmen's **** ups. He has that sort of appeal to batsmen to go after him but he's still good enough that if they do they are likely to get out. But other than that he's pretty impotent as a bowler.

Wow, only just realised how good Andrew McDonald's Twenty20 record is. Interesting.
 
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