Steve Smith

[Rowd072]

It is always difficult for a young guy in a game like this when wickets are tumbling around him when he bats and he has such a small score to bowl to. I do see something in this guy though......he competes hard and has bowled ok in difficult circumstances.....he just needs time.

I think he needs to alter his technique with his batting though. He commits to the front foot too often and then has to play around his pad which means he is going to be LBW quite a bit in future.

 

[Messenger]

He's neither the best spinner in the country nor a Test #6. He has a loose technique borne of short form cricket. I think his presence says a lot about the state of the Sheffield Shield.

Why on Earth is he playing Test cricket?

 

[BarneyBent]

What I don't get is people saying he is most suited to the short forms of the game. In his short domestic career so far, he has found less and less success with the bat (and more with the ball) the shorter the format. FC cricket is by far his most successful format.

Now, Smith has looked pretty unconvincing with the bat so far, but that has been a form thing, not a technique thing. He is pushing hard outside off, and he seems unsure of where his off stump is. I'm not saying his technique is perfect, not by a long way, it certainly needs some tightening up, but it's not a technique that has been designed to bash some quick runs in the shorter formats. He has the skill and temperament to be a legitimate Test batsman, the main barrier to that is form and experience, not technique. His technique needs to be adjusted for the sake of all forms, not just Tests.

 

[lionbear]

He's neither the best spinner in the country nor a Test #6. He has a loose technique borne of short form cricket. I think his presence says a lot about the state of the Sheffield Shield.

Why on Earth is he playing Test cricket?

He doesn't offer any more then what White currently offers, except White has experience.

I think he was a bandaid fix to a side that is in serious trouble.

I think he will be a good Australian Test cricketer, I just hope they don't stuff him now by playing him too early.

 

[benny_cousins]

Lucky he's in for his sense of humour and not his batting or bowling.

 

[legend166]

It sucks these days that our number 6 has to be a tough grinder instead of a somewhat freewheeling stroke player.

Shows how a crappy top order can stuff the rest of the batting lineup.

 

[Messenger]

Now, Smith has looked pretty unconvincing with the bat so far, but that has been a form thing, not a technique thing. He is pushing hard outside off, and he seems unsure of where his off stump is. I'm not saying his technique is perfect, not by a long way, it certainly needs some tightening up, but it's not a technique that has been designed to bash some quick runs in the shorter formats. He has the skill and temperament to be a legitimate Test batsman, the main barrier to that is form and experience, not technique. His technique needs to be adjusted for the sake of all forms, not just Tests.

I'd describe what I've seen so far as reasonably cavalier, especially that 2nd innings in Perth; fine when you're 300 in front but a little less than useful when you're four for bugger all on a sporting pitch. I'd agree he is worth persevering with, but there does need to be a clear picture developed of what he is and isn't at this level. Some of the gripes about Smith are really gripes about the selectors.

My knock on Smith is that it isn't clear why he is in the side right now. I have trouble believing he is the best guy for #6 right at this moment with Khawaja in the wings.

On that basis I have to think the point of difference for Smith is his bowling. That's tough luck when you're captained by a bloke reticent to use any spinner who doesn't spell his name W-A-R-N-E. His effort was passable today; too short and too defensive (around the wicket FFS!) but again only 18 overs of 136. And again I can't believe he is the best spinner in the country.
That belongs to Hauritz by default.

This team is better balanced dropping Smith and playing Khawaja or any other specialist bat at 6, dropping Hilfenhaus and playing Hauritz.

If Smith is there to bowl, then bat him at 7 or 8 and don't crowd him out with seamers. My concern is that if he really is a rare talent his bowling will wither on the vine under Ponting and you end up with Cam White 2.0.

 

[Messenger]

[

It sucks these days that our number 6 has to be a tough grinder instead of a somewhat freewheeling stroke player.

Shows how a crappy top order can stuff the rest of the batting lineup.

They have to be adaptable. Sometimes freewheeling isn't what is required.

 

[frankrizzo]

Smith is a bit like those pray they deliver their occasional all round performance guys england used to pick(the craig white types).

It's usually a sign of a desperate and poor team when these flawed bits and pieces players get preference over specialist batters and bowlers.

Im not saying smith has no test future, but is he one of the best 6 bats in the country right now?

If he is then god help our team.

 

[aflcliche]

I love his nickname - 'Waylon'. I'm sold. He stays.

 

[FreoBulldog]

Certainly the way Steve Smith runs around the field, he looks like he must have attended a "special" school.

 

[Dipper]

Smith is a bit like those pray they deliver their occasional all round performance guys england used to pick(the craig white types).

It's usually a sign of a desperate and poor team when these flawed bits and pieces players get preference over specialist batters and bowlers.

Im not saying smith has no test future, but is he one of the best 6 bats in the country right now?

If he is then god help our team.

It's certainly strange how Australia have mimicked England in this way.

Post Botham England always played 5 bowling options which inevitably meant putting in an 'allrounder' who wasn't a good enough batsman or bowler....David Capel...Phil Defreitas(who admittedly did have his moments as a bowler), Chris LEwis, Derick Pringle, Mark Ealham, Craig White etc

It took England a long time to accept that 6 batsman was the better option unless you have a decent allrounder, which we did have with Flintoff, some clowns this series particularly after Perth were saying that England are a bowler short and that they should drop a batsman for a bowler, which I found odd considering the success of the last year has been with 4 bowlers.

So I find it odd that Australia have binned their own template for a clearly inferior one.

I've never really felt that 4 quicks can do much more than 3, especially with Watson in there as another option.

 

[BarneyBent]

I'd describe what I've seen so far as reasonably cavalier, especially that 2nd innings in Perth; fine when you're 300 in front but a little less than useful when you're four for bugger all on a sporting pitch. I'd agree he is worth persevering with, but there does need to be a clear picture developed of what he is and isn't at this level. Some of the gripes about Smith are really gripes about the selectors.

My knock on Smith is that it isn't clear why he is in the side right now. I have trouble believing he is the best guy for #6 right at this moment with Khawaja in the wings.

On that basis I have to think the point of difference for Smith is his bowling. That's tough luck when you're captained by a bloke reticent to use any spinner who doesn't spell his name W-A-R-N-E. His effort was passable today; too short and too defensive (around the wicket FFS!) but again only 18 overs of 136. And again I can't believe he is the best spinner in the country.
That belongs to Hauritz by default.

This team is better balanced dropping Smith and playing Khawaja or any other specialist bat at 6, dropping Hilfenhaus and playing Hauritz.

If Smith is there to bowl, then bat him at 7 or 8 and don't crowd him out with seamers. My concern is that if he really is a rare talent his bowling will wither on the vine under Ponting and you end up with Cam White 2.0.

I don't disagree with any of that. He's not in our top 6 batsman (he is on potential, but that's not enough), he's not our best spinner (although he has surprised me with how much he has improved even since those Tests against Pakistan, he bowled beautifully for NSW in his recent 8-wicket game). He shouldn't have been picked, and I've been saying that for a while. However, it's not that he's just naturally not suited to Test cricket. He's just out of form and inexperienced.

 

[Bomber Bears]

Agreed with general concensus - lots of potential, not yet ready, should've picked Khawaja/Marsh/maybe dussey plus a spinner rather than Smith and a 4th quick.

His bowling (at least when bowling over the wicket) shows alot of promise IMO for a 21 year old leggie but get him back in the shield, needs more first class cricket to develop his game. He's out of form with the bat.

Get him a solid 18 months of first class cricket (shield, get a county contract if possible, then shield next year) and see how he goes.

 

[Sanguinarius]

I cant remember who suggested it out of the channel 9 commentators, but early in the series one said to leave smith in NSW for two years and only let him play in 4 day games.
forget the ODD and the twenty/20 and focus all his energies on the longer format for a couple of years.
pay him match fees for the ODD and t/20 he misses if need be, but focus on getting as much FC cricket into him as possible.

if this was to happen I have no doubt we'd have a gem in Smith

 

[Admiral Byng]

The whole selection of Smith is symptomatic of a dysfunctional selection process.

The selectors have selected Beer, but they aren't prepared to actually play him. They have gone for 4 seamers instead. This leaves them with no spinner of course, so they compromise the batting order by sticking in Smith at 6 with the intention he play as the spinner.

They could play either Beer or Smith as a specialist spinner and go with 3 quicks plus Watson as the pace options, but Watson is stuck as an opener so he is a bit restricted in how much he can bowl. But nobody want to shift him down the order to a more logical spot at say 5 or 6.

There is just a lack of direction in the selection policies at the moment. Or perhaps an internal conflict in the selection process that forces stupid compromises.

 

[BigCat2]

I cant remember who suggested it out of the channel 9 commentators, but early in the series one said to leave smith in NSW for two years and only let him play in 4 day games.
forget the ODD and the twenty/20 and focus all his energies on the longer format for a couple of years.
pay him match fees for the ODD and t/20 he misses if need be, but focus on getting as much FC cricket into him as possible.

if this was to happen I have no doubt we'd have a gem in Smith

That was Terry Jenner on the Cricket Show who advised re: Smith.

And agree regarding the current selection panel. No vision. No strategy. No consistency. No balls.

It would take a complete overhaul of the selection panel for Australian cricket to thrive again. They're clearly not prepared to put in a plan for some medium term pain for long term sustained success. This constant chopping and changing without clear focus has us going backwards fast.

Problem starts at the top though - CA hasn't made the selection panel or coach accountable.

 

[FreoBulldog]

Actually England have a player of similar ability in Adil Rashid (about the same age too) he is a leg spinner and very capable batsman but they played him too early in limited overs match against South Africa and he got taken to the cleaners.
Now, they didn't even pick him for the Performance Squad that 'shadowed' the main squad. He is now a longer term project, i have a feeling we could see him in the next downunder Ashes in 4 years time.

 

[roodav]

Actually England have a player of similar ability in Adil Rashid (about the same age too) he is a leg spinner and very capable batsman but they played him too early in limited overs match against South Africa and he got taken to the cleaners.
Now, they didn't even pick him for the Performance Squad that 'shadowed' the main squad. He is now a longer term project, i have a feeling we could see him in the next downunder Ashes in 4 years time.

Rashid is in the Lions squad to tour the Windies in the new year, the line for him missing the performance squad was to give him some rest.

He's a couple of years further down the line than Smith and a much more experienced bowler, he's taken over 200 first class wickets and has 13 5 wicket hauls to Smiths 1. He plays primarily as a bowler and would still be getting a game for his domestic side if he couldn bat, I'm not sure you could say the same about Smith. Might see him in contention next time England go to the subcontinent for a test tour, probably a good thing for him that Swann is going so well as he won't be needed to step up yet.

 

[amer]

Actually England have a player of similar ability in Adil Rashid (about the same age too) he is a leg spinner and very capable batsman but they played him too early in limited overs match against South Africa and he got taken to the cleaners.
Now, they didn't even pick him for the Performance Squad that 'shadowed' the main squad. He is now a longer term project, i have a feeling we could see him in the next downunder Ashes in 4 years time.

That's an insult to Smith's ability. Rashid isn't in the same ball park.

 

[roodav]

That's an insult to Smith's ability. Rashid isn't in the same ball park.

As a bowler, Rashid shits all over Smith to date

 

[Dipper]

That's an insult to Smith's ability. Rashid isn't in the same ball park.

Ridiculous statement.

 

[dr nick]

He's not in the top 6 batsmen, but he spent most of last week working on his leggies instead of getting some hours up with the pads. That's what he has to do if they refuse to pick a specialist spinner.

 

[Messenger]

So there is less that 4 overs to go, and he has done the hard work to get to 38.

So you pull a lifting delivery from outside off and drag it into your stumps.

It's not the 48th over of an ODI, Steve. You dingbat.

 

[The Passenger]

don't like those front foot pulls. they look very awkward. most players who pull off the front foot have a lot of trouble keeping them under control - it's almost impossible to consistently keep them on the ground because you'll always be hitting them with your shoulders undernearth the ball.