Having thrived as captain in the absence of Pat Cummins, Steve Smith once again embraced the mantle of leadership with an air of quiet authority. His record—an astonishing average of 66 across 38 Tests as skipper—spoke volumes of his ability to channel responsibility into performance. On this occasion, too, he was imperious. After a measured start, he emerged from the lunch interval with renewed intent, reaching his half-century in just 57 deliveries. Yet, as the afternoon session unfolded, he demonstrated another facet of his batting: patience. Sri Lanka’s talisman, Prabath Jayasuriya, resorted to a defensive leg-stump line in an attempt to stifle him, but Smith, unperturbed, absorbed the challenge, waiting for his moment to pounce.
With the skies darkening and the looming threat of rain,
Smith rediscovered his rhythm, threading the gaps with precision to bring up
his 35th Test century. His celebration was understated—just a simple raise of
the baggy green—reflecting not just his personal milestone but a deeper
understanding of the journey that had brought him here. This was his third
hundred in his last seven Test innings, a testament to his enduring class and
insatiable hunger for runs.
Smith had entered the match teetering on the brink of
history, stranded at 9,999 Test runs after an agonizing near-miss in the final
Test against India at his beloved SCG. The weight of that moment, however, did
not linger. It took just one ball to cross the threshold—an elegant flick to
mid-on, a stroke as effortless as it was significant. In doing so, he joined
the pantheon of Australian greats as one of the few to breach the 10,000-run
milestone. The applause from his teammates was warm, the ovation from the
terraces joyous, yet Smith remained characteristically restrained, acknowledging
the moment with nothing more than a modest wave of the bat.
There was, however, an early moment of peril. A lapse in
concentration saw him offer a return catch to Jayasuriya, a fleeting
opportunity that slipped through the bowler’s fingers. That reprieve was all
Smith needed. He settled, adjusted, and proceeded to dictate terms. Wearing his
baggy green with the quiet pride of a man who understands its weight, he
commanded the innings with authority. Like Khawaja and Travis Head before him,
he moved with certainty, his footwork against spin precise, his strokes down
the ground a masterclass in control. This was not just an innings of milestones
but one of method—an exhibition of a batsman at the peak of his craft, bending
the game to his will.
A Career Defined by
Evolution
Steve Smith’s Test
career began in 2010, not as the batting colossus he would become, but as a
leg-spinner who could chip in with the bat. His early promise was raw, his
place in the team uncertain. Yet, what followed was one of the most remarkable
metamorphoses in modern cricket. Dropped from the Australian side, Smith did
not fade into obscurity; instead, he embarked on a relentless pursuit of
reinvention. He honed his technique, refined his approach, and in the process,
reshaped his identity. No longer a bits-and-pieces cricketer, he emerged as a
specialist batsman of rare distinction, his evolution a testament to both his
work ethic and his insatiable hunger for improvement.
Smith’s batting is a paradox—at once chaotic and calculated.
His fidgety mannerisms, exaggerated trigger movements, and unorthodox grip make
him an anomaly in the classical school of batting. Purists may wince at the
aesthetics, but the numbers render their concerns irrelevant. His technique,
though unconventional, is underpinned by an extraordinary ability to judge
length early, a gift that allows him to thrive in conditions that unnerve even
the most technically sound batsmen. His bat is an extension of his instincts,
his movements a carefully choreographed dance between unpredictability and
precision.
There is an artistry to Smith’s approach, albeit one that
defies traditional elegance. His exaggerated shuffle across the stumps grants
him access to angles that conventional batsmen rarely explore. Nowhere is this
more evident than in his dominance of the leg side—where he effortlessly flicks
good-length deliveries through mid-wicket, turning bowlers’ best efforts into
mere footnotes in his innings. Against spin, his precise footwork and late
adjustments make him an immovable force, a batsman who bends the turning ball
to his will rather than merely surviving it.
Yet, what truly separates Smith from his peers is not just
his technique but his temperament. He is a batsman forged in adversity, a
cricketer who thrives under the weight of expectation. Pressure, for him, is
not a burden but a catalyst. He absorbs the opposition’s fiercest spells,
waiting patiently for a momentary lapse, and when it comes, he pounces with
ruthless efficiency. His marathon innings are a study in endurance, an
exhibition of mental steel that grinds down bowlers and drains the spirit of
fielding sides.
His journey, however, has not been without turbulence. The
2018 ball-tampering scandal cast a long shadow over his career, leading to a
year-long exile from international cricket. It was a moment that could have
defined him for the wrong reasons. Instead, Smith used the time to reflect,
rebuild, and return stronger.
Injuries, too, have tested his resilience. Elbow troubles,
concussions, and the unforgiving toll of the game have all threatened to derail
him. Yet, each time, he has returned to the crease with the same hunger, the
same unwavering determination. His career is not merely a collection of runs
and records but a narrative of perseverance—of a batsman, who, time and again,
has defied convention, defied adversity, and, above all, defied the limits of
what was once thought possible.
The Pinnacle of
Consistency
It is one thing to reach 10,000 runs; it is another to do so
with an average exceeding 55—a threshold only the game’s finest have consistently
maintained. Smith, whose name now sits alongside Ricky Ponting, Allan Border,
and Steve Waugh as the only Australians to reach this milestone, did so in 115
Tests, making him the joint second-fastest to the mark, alongside Kumar
Sangakkara and behind only Brian Lara.
Yet the numbers alone fail to encapsulate his
dominance.
Between 2014 and 2020, Smith amassed 6,257 runs in 100
innings—a stretch of sustained brilliance rivalled only by the likes of Ponting
and Sangakkara. During this period, he averaged 71.92, a statistic that places
him second only to Ponting’s golden run of 72.42. These are not mere
statistical anomalies but reflections of a player who, at his peak, was nearly
untouchable.
His penchant for scoring big in the first innings is another
hallmark of his greatness. Thirty-one of his 35 Test centuries have come when
setting up matches, ensuring his team a foundation upon which victories were
built. His remarkable first-innings average of 85.33, the highest among players
with at least 25 such innings, underscores his ability to dictate terms from
the outset.
Resilience in the
Face of Adversity
The ball-tampering
scandal of 2018, which led to a one-year exile, could have broken a lesser
player. Yet, when he returned for the 2019 Ashes, he did so with a vengeance.
He amassed 774 runs in just four matches, an innings-by-innings masterclass in discipline,
skill, and defiance. The boos from English crowds faded into irrelevance as he
let his bat do the talking.
Even beyond controversy, Smith has faced physical setbacks.
Concussions, elbow injuries, and a shifting landscape of Test cricket—where
pitches now produce results faster, often within three or four days—have tested
him. His form has fluctuated since 2023, with an average of 41.05 in his last
24 Tests, yet he remains among the elite, undeterred by the shifting sands of
the game.
Mastery Across
Conditions
Few batsmen have demonstrated the versatility that Smith
has. His mastery is not confined to the comfort of home conditions; his numbers
abroad stand as a testament to his adaptability.
He has scored 2,000 runs in England at an average of 57.14,
a number that places him in rarefied company. In India, where foreign batsmen
often falter against the turning ball, he has averaged 50.31, scoring three
centuries. Against both pace and spin, his numbers remain formidable—averaging
55.29 and 63.03, respectively.
This ability to thrive in vastly different conditions is
what separates the great from the merely excellent.
A Legacy Cemented
Smith’s greatness is not merely numerical—it is
philosophical. He has redefined what it means to be a Test batsman in the
modern age. In an era dominated by white-ball theatrics, he has remained
steadfast in his devotion to the long form, proving that discipline and
innovation are not mutually exclusive.
His name is now etched among cricket’s immortals. His
influence, however, extends beyond records and rankings. Smith’s journey—from a
leg-spinner with a wayward technique to one of the most prolific batsmen in
Test history—serves as a beacon for cricketers who dare to defy convention. He
is a reminder that there is no singular path to greatness; there is only the
path one is willing to carve.
With 10,000 Test runs behind him and many more to come, Steve Smith is not just a batsman—he is a phenomenon, a testament to cricket’s enduring charm, and an artist who paints his masterpiece one innings at a time.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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