Remove this Banner Ad

Steve Smith

  • Thread starter Thread starter outabounds
  • Start date Start date
  • Tagged users Tagged users None

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

big_e said:
http://www.cricinfo.com/the-ashes-2010-11/content/current/story/486424.html

Murali speaks:

---
Australia will announce their squad for the first Test on Monday and they might include both Hauritz and the legspinning allrounder Steven Smith, to leave themselves plenty of options. However, Test cricket's leading wicket taker, Muttiah Muralitharan, who played against Smith in the recent ODI series, believes Hauritz is the man to carry Australia's spin burden during the Ashes.

"Smith does not have much control and he must learn more about bowling spin before he plays Test cricket again," Muralitharan said. "There are many things he must learn. He is not good for Test cricket at the moment.

"I don't think Smith would do any better than Hauritz. I know Hauritz did not bowl well in India but lots of spinners have struggled there against Indian batsmen, who play spin very well. Hauritz should play in the Ashes."

---
Click to expand...

Yep, a pretty good summary of where Smith is at. His bowling isn't Test standard yet, and hey, it may never be. However, if he gets into the side on his batting in the immediate future (very, very possible), he'll be handy with the ball.
 
King Elvis said:
His bowling is irrelevant, most of us want him in the side as a batsmen in the Clarke/Katich mould.
Click to expand...

Interesting point.

I personally think that he is in the side almost entirely for his bowling and if he was not as good / couldn't bowl then I think he would be well down the pecking order for a spot in the top half of the team.

In saying that though, his runs will probably keep him in the team if his bowling doesn't come along.


I do agree though that those channel nine commentators need to stop waffling on about him being the new "Warnie".

Also Smith will be a gun. He may even become one of the best all-rounders of all time (Kapil Dev, Ian Botham)
 

Log in to remove this Banner Ad

Smith bowling definitely helps him at the selection table but if he didn't bowl then his batting wouldn't be so underrated and he'd still come under consideration.
 
One of the most impressive things about Smith's batting in the shield is his maturity. Looking at his scores you might think he's a slogger, but he really plays himself in, make sure he gets in, and its not unusual for him to be going along as he is at present (12/50 or so). Once he gets his eye in however he can really up the ante, and he's hard to stop then
 
bloodstainedangel5 said:
Smith would absolutely be in consideration. He was the best batsman in the competition last Shield season.

How did he go with the bat after what? His bowling has been talked up since the start, and in T20, he has been arguably the best spinner in Australia, which was why he was called up. He needs much further development as an OD and FC bowler, but that's always been the case.

In any case, he hit 4 tons last season, at 77, and his bowling steadily improved, culminating in a 7 wicket haul in the final match of the season. I fail to see your point.
Click to expand...

The >insert player who has performed consistently for a number of seasons name here<.

Even the newly dubbed great Phillip Hughes had to bide his time for a second consecutive season.

legend166 said:
All the talk about Smith started at the end of the 09/10 season. So it terms of 'where did he go from there', he played a couple of Tests and hit a 77 coming in at number 8 and got 3 wickets at 27. In ODI's he's averaging 27 coming in at number 8 and in 9 ODIs got 9 wickets at 33.

All the while easily being our best fielder.

So in terms of 'where did he go from there', he debuted for Australia and showed a lot of promise, but hasn't had a lot of opportunities because it was the off season.
Click to expand...

You both talk about him (Smith) as being a batsmen, why does he come into the team and bat at 8? :cool:

seems they are picking wrong players in the wrong positions hey.

Ponting should bat at 9, Johnson and Hilfenhause should definitely open the batting together, Clarke at 4 is silly, should bat at 7 or 8, much better suited to when the ball is older.

God, people are actually listening to Warne a little to much.

Listen to the other bloke who has played a fair bit of cricket, and taken a few test wickets as well!

As it stands, Smith would not be first in line to be given a test spot as a batsmen. Who's spot would he take any ways?

You need a variety of batsmen who can play a variety of games to suit the situation.

I think Smith only has one gear, and that is full throttle (led the Shield highest runscorers with the best strike rate of 78).

I am honestly not going to bother trying to put some perspective on this, the obsession with youth blinds the facts that he is not ready to play full time test match cricket as a bolwer (which is what he has been selected to play as).
 
HFF_07 said:
The >insert player who has performed consistently for a number of seasons name here<.

Even the newly dubbed great Phillip Hughes had to bide his time for a second consecutive season.
Click to expand...

Smith showed promise in his first season, and dominated with the bat in his second. It's not like he hit a few streaky runs here and there and got a few not outs to boost his average, he averaged 77, with 4 centuries and over 800 runs in just 8 matches, as well as averaging 40 with the ball and taking 15 or so wickets. He absolutely dominated Shield attacks.

His selection in the Test squad as a bowler was on the understanding that there wasn't really anybody else better (a FC average of 40 with the ball in a season is actually generally about as good as it gets in Aus these days), he would benefit from the experience, and if he ended up getting a game, he could make up from his lack of readiness with his batting.

HFF_07 said:
You both talk about him (Smith) as being a batsmen, why does he come into the team and bat at 8? :cool:

seems they are picking wrong players in the wrong positions hey.

Ponting should bat at 9, Johnson and Hilfenhause should definitely open the batting together, Clarke at 4 is silly, should bat at 7 or 8, much better suited to when the ball is older.
Click to expand...

Hilarious. :rolleyes:

If you hadn't noticed, he batted the last few ODIs at 7, and was the second spinner. Additionally, he made his international debut in T20Is, and in that format, he's actually a better bowler than he is batsman. He averages 17 with the ball in T20Ds, and takes more than a wicket a game. In T20, that's a very good record.

HFF_07 said:
God, people are actually listening to Warne a little to much.

Listen to the other bloke who has played a fair bit of cricket, and taken a few test wickets as well!
Click to expand...

What about it? Few people are arguing Smith is ready to be a Test match bowler. Those arguing for his inclusion at 8 are basically suggesting that while he's not good enough (yet), neither is Hauritz, but at least Smith can bat.

HFF_07 said:
As it stands, Smith would not be first in line to be given a test spot as a batsmen. Who's spot would he take any ways?

You need a variety of batsmen who can play a variety of games to suit the situation.

I think Smith only has one gear, and that is full throttle (led the Shield highest runscorers with the best strike rate of 78).
Click to expand...

I don't think he'd be first in line. He's definitely in the queue, as a batsman with his record at his age should be. As for the spot he'd take, North or Hussey. Take your pick.

And if you think Smith has only one gear, then you've just totally discredited your own opinion. You have clearly paid no attention to Smith's batting at FC level. Smith played many innings in which he was forced to rebuild, started cautiously, and only once he had returned stability did he up the tempo. Smith is in fact a very versatile batsman, capable of scoring runs at whatever rate necessary.

Seriously, you clearly don't know anything about Smith as a player, so why on earth are you commenting?

HFF_07 said:
I am honestly not going to bother trying to put some perspective on this, the obsession with youth blinds the facts that he is not ready to play full time test match cricket as a bolwer (which is what he has been selected to play as).
Click to expand...

He's not ready to play full time test match cricket as a bowler. The only format that he could play as a full time bowler at international level is T20. He's a balanced allrounder in the 50 (or 45) over format, and a batting allrounder in FC cricket.

If Smith was to be selected to replace Hauritz, it would still be as a batting allrounder, even if he batted at 8 (which would be ludicrous, he's a better batsman than Haddin, but those in charge won't care). It would be a trade-off of somewhat better bowling for much better batting. A good trade-off? I don't think so. I don't think Smith should be in the Test team yet. I think he should stick to FC level and work on his game, and follow up his work from last year. But he has earnt his place in the T20I and ODI squads, and he definitely deserves to be in discussions about a Test place.
 
outabounds said:
I am sick of Mark Taylor and Slats pumping this guy up. The profile on Cricinfo says he is the most promising Australian spinner since Warnie. Ok somebody has their hand on it when they said that. The Channel 9 boys get aroused every time he takes a catch. He is a part time spinner who bats a bit in the Cameron White mould. Why does that make him a star?
Click to expand...

because he plays for NSW thats why.

he is also more marketable with his looks
 
This isn't directed at anyone in particular but those that believe he is a slogger needs to go out to the game or watch the live stream or for this week the Aus A game. In both his innings I don't recall anything out of the ordinary, he was playing normal shots and had a very solid defence.
 
Smith showed today he will play a big part in the future of Aus cricket, toughing it out in bowler friendly conditions against bowlers with with plenty of international exposure, aside from Shahzad

I've been saying it for the last year, he will eventually be picked in the Aus team long term as a batsman, he might have a strange technique but he has the temperament to cope at the level with the bat, and can mix it up with some very exciting batting, didn't he average something like 78 at FC level last summer?

His bowling will be a real slow work in progress, he has plenty of time to work on that
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Re: Steve Smith - Why is he "Special"

Damon_3388 said:
Why is everyone so intent on labelling him either a batsmen or a bowler in the future? Why can't he just be a talented all-rounder?
Click to expand...

Prob cos he hasn't got any bowling stats to back it up?
 
Re: Steve Smith - Why is he "Special"

wavefall21 said:
Prob cos he hasn't got any bowling stats to back it up?
Click to expand...

He averages <20 in T20 cricket with the ball, and he has taken a 7 wicket haul at FC level, as a 21 year old leggie. Those are very good stats. Yes, his FC average of 49 isn't flash, but compare it to any other spinner in Australia and it actually stacks up reasonably favourably. 4 day games on Australian wickets don't lend themselves to spin bowling, plain and simple. When you consider that leggies traditionally take time (Warne was 23 before he broke into the Aussie side, and was still developing), then there's a lot to be excited about by his bowling.

He isn't a Test bowlers arseh*le, YET. But to say he doesn't have bowling talent is ludicrous. He lacks control, which is his main problem, but he bowls very, very nice legbreaks. With a bit more experience and development, his bowling will become very dangerous.
 
He's a good batsman but he's got an ugly technique. It works for him though I guess. As others have said his bowling isn't yet up to scratch, but he'll be alot more dangerous when he develops some more control.
 
Agree with this or not, but he is likely to be our next long term captain.

At 21 he has a leadership background (captained Australia u-19s, NSW u-19s and his grade side at 19) and is already entrenched in all forms of the Australian team. Clarke is already grooming him. He backs himself - which is a great attribute for a captain.

Mitch Marsh is of course another contender, but is well behind at the moment.
 

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Stan Van Gundy said:
He's a good batsman but he's got an ugly technique. It works for him though I guess. As others have said his bowling isn't yet up to scratch, but he'll be alot more dangerous when he develops some more control.
Click to expand...

Wait until the Selectors drop him because his technique is unorthodox, and ruin him.

Phil Hughes.
 
Coughlan said:
This forum has people under rating his batting far too much and over rate his bowling.
Click to expand...

not just on this forum but everywhere. i think it's just people creaming themselves over any sought of leg spinning prospect even though his bowling is very erratic at the moment and to be honest, i don't think he's ever going to be a test match bowler.

his batting however is very explosive and could definately be test level.
 
Smith's bowling will get better, Terry Jenner said he needs at least 5 years before hes ready as a test spinner and that was a couple of years ago. Hes only 21 which is dam young for a leg spinner, you will hardly find any leg spinners that are on the Test scene at that age.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Similar threads

PhatBoy
    • Like
    • Sad
RIP ‘The Judge’ Robin Smith.
2
Replies
29
Views
975
Plugger35
Plugger35
C
Smith and the 2028 Olympics
Replies
4
Views
672
cricketnut14
C

Remove this Banner Ad

🥰 Love BigFooty? Join now for free.

Back
Top Bottom