Should finish his career as one of the top 5 players of all time.
Astounding numbers to date.
Astounding numbers to date.
Sir Steven Smith
- Thread starter TBellicious
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He relies quite a lot on his eye so unfortunately I do expect a marked decline in his early-to-mid 30's. He has adapted his technique more than any other batsmen I've seen though so he may fare better with change than, say, Ricky Ponting (who largely didn't alter his technique).
I still expect him to be right up there with the best by the end of his career though. At this point in his career he may as well be God. He's scored everywhere against everyone except Bangladesh.
I still expect him to be right up there with the best by the end of his career though. At this point in his career he may as well be God. He's scored everywhere against everyone except Bangladesh.
Basically what happened to ponting. If he was born 10 years earlier with the amount of talent we had around he would of been pushed out at least a couple of years before he was in 2012
Tendulkar's game was founded on an impeccable technique, Smith is staggeringly good right now but I don't think it's unreasonable to question how it will hold at the end of his career when his reflexes slow down.
But not worried about how he'll finish his career when he is just making batting look obscenely unchallenging. Relentless of the mind too, there's no slogging or giving the opposition anything of a chance.
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Wasn't Bradman criticized for a unorthodox technique relying on hand-eye coordination as well though? Obviously Smith isn't on that level, but Bradman still managed alright at 40 and that was after a few years away from the game.
Demosthenes
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The issue with Smith is that he plays so far across in front of his stumps. The reason most batsmen don't do this is because it makes you a massive LBW risk.
The only way Smith gets away with it is because his vision, timing and concentration is supernatural enough that he punishes pretty much 100% of on-side balls. But that's something you'd expect to deteriorate later in his career.
The only way Smith gets away with it is because his vision, timing and concentration is supernatural enough that he punishes pretty much 100% of on-side balls. But that's something you'd expect to deteriorate later in his career.
From the footage I saw Bradman was more Tendulkar than Smith, so his technique was much more orthodox.
Bradman apparently agrees with me.
I reckon Akram would have gone alright, since Akram had a historically high amount of LBW/Bowled. If Smith does have a weakness, its LBW/bowled early on in his innings. By same token i reckon someone like Ambrose would have struggled since Smith is incredible around his off stump.
eth-dog
Tier 1 WW Player
Yet you said Smith is the best bat Australia's had this century?
I would say they're on par as the 2 greatest australian cricketers of this era.
eth-dog
Tier 1 WW Player
Holy s**t. You cannot be serious?
Yeah Steven and David are just a couple of nobodies in Australian cricket. You win.
eth-dog
Tier 1 WW Player
Now where did I say that?
Warner averages a full 15 runs less than Smith and Smith has a vastly superior overseas record to boot.
What a strange call.
Golumless
A bigger deal out west.
Gets worse when you consider Warner is a good couple of years years older than Smith; giving him no real chance of catching up to Smith statistically.
Every great test batsmen in the past 50-60 years has had a purple patch of 3-6 seasons where they are practically unstoppable, something at this point Smith has achieved (and something Warner hasn't managed, which is no shame in that, seeing that is only reserved for the very best test batsmen).
Of course, how Smith goes once he starts to lose hand eye co-ordination is going to be a big question, but really him surviving that is just going to be the icing on the claim of him being the 2nd best test batsmen we've ever produced. Even if he doesn't, there is a fair chance he would have done enough by that point to claim he was better than Ponting.
the crazy thing is smith is still only 28. Most batsman peak about 30-32. If his hand eye is going to go, it will be when he is 35+. Chanderpaul had a relatively similar technique and kept playing until his 40s.
Ponting had his best years 2002-2006 which is which what smith is just arriving in, age wise.
The age of Smith is just starting
