The Aussie goldSmith leaves a giant-sized vacuum in One Day cricket
The Aussie goldSmith leaves a giant-sized vacuum in One Day cricket
It needs a strong character to sign off on a high. You want to carry on because the world thinks you are still good. But your inner self firmly says, “Enough.” In Steve Smith’s case, his strong understanding of the situation prevailed to call it a day on his career in One Day Internationals.
A lovable international, Smith was critical in adding strength to Test cricket in an era where T20 cricketers are called legends. He was not much of a success in the shortest format of the game, but Smith could not have been ignored in ODIs.
The 50-over format suited Smith. It gave him time to assess the opposition and go about his work calculatedly. Five of his 12 centuries came against India; each innings was a case study.
The brisk gait to the crease demonstrated his confidence. He would quickly take guard and ease into a stance that gave him the aura of a champion batter. But then, there was hardly a batter as fidgety at the crease as Smith.
A tap on the left pad, right pad, left thigh, and the `box’ was a routine he followed every ball. Bowlers sometimes would wait before Smith took a stance because he would steal a glance at the field. It was unique – this restlessness in the crease. He certainly got a kick out of it.
A modern great. An asset to Australian cricket. He was a batsman most feared. Flawless? Almost. Sometimes, his temperament let him down when he backed himself to continue with his unbridled aggression, but Smith knew no other way to bat.
Smith loved to dictate. He looked to dominate with a flurry of his wide-range shots. That he could play nearly every shot from the manual meant he constantly terrorised bowlers, who worked tirelessly to see his back. His ability to tear into the attack stood out in Smith’s batting, constructing revivals from the dumps and playing shots with authority against spin and pace.
For a cricketer who started his career at No. 8 and essentially as a leg-spinner, Smith was a remarkable icon. He progressed gradually and established his credentials as a batsman, one of the finest in contemporary cricket, and one of the greatest to occupy the Australian dressing room.
The ball-tampering scandal during the 2018 series against South Africa was a scar on Smith’s career. He lost 12 months of cricket but made a sensational comeback in the 2019 Ashes. His aggregate of 774 in English conditions came in seven innings, a pleasant reminder of Sunil Gavaskar’s 774 in eight innings in his debut series against the West Indies in 1971.
For his excellent ODI career, cricket will continue to enjoy Smith in the most extended format of the game. Along with Virat Kohli, he is the biggest ambassador of Test cricket and the authorities worldwide thank these two giants for it.
Cricketers like Smith and Kohli are once-in-a-generation players who need to be celebrated. It’s good that Smith, a complete batter, will continue entertaining his fans in Test matches. It is such a delight to watch him bat and field. He has pulled off incredible catches at short mid-off and short mid-on, in slips or countryside and in every possible fielding position. The 35-year-old Smith, who has scored 5800 runs in 170 ODIs with 12 centuries, is an unfading cricket star who revelled in adverse conditions.
Published on Mar 07, 2025
