Steve Smith.
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Donny
Formerly known as MAGFAN8.
Joined: 04 Aug 2002 Location: Toonumbar NSW Australia
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Post subject: Steve Smith. | |
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To the 'journo' K mentioned who wouldn't have Smith in the Aussie T20 team:
Super Smith leads Australia to victory.
Smith keeps getting better and better, warns stunned Langer.
Australia surge to victory off back of stellar Smith.
Smith thrills with innovative unbeaten 80.
Placement, timing as good as power: Smith.
"How the hell does he do that?" Agar on Smith.
Settled Smith revels in role as Aussie 'Mr Fix It' - Extended run at No.3 for the first time in years has the superstar batsman feeling confident he can take next year's World Cup hosts to the next level
And just for you, K: Placement, timing as good as power: Smith. _________________ Donny.
It's a game. Enjoy it. |
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Donny
Formerly known as MAGFAN8.
Joined: 04 Aug 2002 Location: Toonumbar NSW Australia
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The above 8 headlines (from cricket.com.au) all came after last night's win over Pakistan - the #1 ranked team in World t20. _________________ Donny.
It's a game. Enjoy it. |
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Donny
Formerly known as MAGFAN8.
Joined: 04 Aug 2002 Location: Toonumbar NSW Australia
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And one simple headline from Cricinfo: "Steven Smith's masterclass gives Australia series lead" _________________ Donny.
It's a game. Enjoy it. |
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K
Joined: 09 Sep 2011
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Post subject: Re: Steve Smith. | |
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Donny wrote: | ...
And just for you, K: Placement, timing as good as power: Smith. |
Sadly, I don't reckon Smith generally has placement and timing.
I'm still having nightmares of Smith's panicked charges down to wicket to Leach. (He obviously has issues, both psychological and technical, against left-arm orthodox spin now... but that's a topic for a different thread, I guess.) Even when he ended up with a boundary, he was swinging himself almost off his feet, and the ball just made it over the boundary. And when that happened, it was hard not to think about skinny Maxwell effortlessly pounding balls out of the ground while staying balanced.
I think the lesson from the Stokes meltdown (i.e. Oz's meltdown to Stokes, not Stokes's meltdown) was that when you can clear the boundary, the fielders end up right on the boundary, and then it looks like there are holes in the field everywhere. And then half chances always just fall short of fielders or are dropped because they are so difficult. But now of course we're talking Test cricket on England's tiny grounds. They can't make tiny grounds larger, but they can stop having the boundary rope 20m from the fence, and above all the ICC should restrict the bat sizes... But now I've gone right off topic. |
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Presti35
Dick Lee for Legend Status
Joined: 05 Oct 2001 Location: London, England
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Pies4shaw
pies4shaw
Joined: 08 Oct 2007
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Bradman started as an almost instant star batsman and racked up a flurry of centuries (including doubles and triples) in his early matches. In his first 20 innings, for example, he made a total of 8 centuries (including two doubles and a triple).
By contrast, Smith started as a bowler who batted a bit and has had two distinct careers, as a consequence.
Thus, over the last 5 years of Test cricket, Steve Smith’s batting average is almost 80. In those last 5 years, he has scored 22 centuries and 19 fifties in a total of 82 innings. That means that over that 5-year period he has made a 50 or 100 every second time he has gone to the crease.
By comparison, Bradman batted just 80 times in his Test career. He made 29 centuries and 13 fifties in those 80 innings. In Bradman’s day, of course, most of the Tests were between Australia and England but he did make hay while the sun shone (farbeit from me to use the pejorative “flat track bully”) against the lesser nations. So, he scored 10 of his centuries (4 of which were double centuries, including a 299*) against the West Indies, SA or India at a time when those teams were not very competitive.
Bradman’s particular genius over his career was that he was able to go on to amass huge scores so frequently once he got going. But, if you assess batting “success” by how frequently a batsman reaches 50, Smith’s last 5 years, spanning just two more innings than Bradman’s entire Test career, show Smith reaching 50 just as many times (42 apiece) - and just about as often - as Bradman did.
It really is about time that everyone stopped trying to diminish Smith’s achievements as a Test batsman. He is, statistically, in his present career as a top-order batsman, the greatest player to play since the Second World War, bar none and just about as good as the Don.
There are plenty of batsman I would prefer to watch bat in a Test (off the top of my head and - save for Sir Viv, who was IMO the best player to watch ever - in no particular order - Viv Richards, G Pollock, Barry Richards, Kanhai, Sobers, Greenidge, Haynes, Kallicharan, Rowe, Clive Lloyd, Lara, Laxman, Tendulkar, Sobers, Iqbal, Abbas, Steve Waugh, Gilchrist, Greg Chappell) but if I wanted to pick a batsman to succeed, come what may, I wouldn’t have Smith behind any of my favourites, whatever points I might deduct for “style and elegance”. |
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Pies4shaw
pies4shaw
Joined: 08 Oct 2007
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Steve Bradsmith just became the fastest batsman of all-time to 7,000 Test runs (126 Tests). Not bad for a leg-spinner who can bat a little. |
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luvdids
Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Location: work
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Was interesting to listen to Steve Waugh talk about Smith last night at a dinner. Said he's possibly the best player he's seen and believes the only thing that could put Steve off his game is Steve himself. Said Smith's return at Edgbaston was the best innings he's seen a batsman play, after the ban, being boo'd, not having played, the media etc etc. To make a century was amazing.
Talked of course about his unusual movements but said watching from side on, when he hits the ball his head is straight, it's textbook. The rest is trying to con the bowler. Also happy for him to not be captain again, said he does a great leadership job as it is, has so little sleep during games that he doesn't believe he needs the added pressure of a C next to his name, and that Paine is doing well so what's the rush getting Steve back. |
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Donny
Formerly known as MAGFAN8.
Joined: 04 Aug 2002 Location: Toonumbar NSW Australia
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Agree. Most impressed with TP as Skip.
Also, as a 'keeper. His one hander, in front of first slip, was superb. _________________ Donny.
It's a game. Enjoy it. |
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K
Joined: 09 Sep 2011
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luvdids wrote: | ... The rest is trying to con the bowler. ... |
An untrue statement from Waugh. These former cricketers tend to dial in their commentary or speech without thought.
It may have the effect of distracting some bowlers, but that's not the intention. All the tics and twitches are a product of the way Smith's brain is. If you want to understand his brain, think Heater. There are many similarities (though Heater reveals an often self-effacing sense of humour that Smith does not).
On technical stuff, it is of course true that it doesn't matter what movements you have before the ball is delivered, or after, as long as they stop and don't affect what you do at the time of the delivery. |
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luvdids
Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Location: work
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lol, I'm pretty sure I'll take Steve Waugh's word over yours, no offence.
To be honest, I can't remember the exact phrasing (drinks included) but was basically saying don't worry about the twitchiness, he hits the ball perfectly. |
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K
Joined: 09 Sep 2011
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So they weren't Waugh's words and you were inaccurately reporting.
And that is a psychological thing, not a cricket thing.
And even on cricket, cricketers often say things that are completely untrue.
Last edited by K on Fri Dec 13, 2019 11:17 am; edited 1 time in total |
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K
Joined: 09 Sep 2011
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Back on Smith, that leg slip/gully dismissal is a problem for him. Of course he could have been spared another dismissal that way if Latham had not dropped him in the slips earlier. |
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luvdids
Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Location: work
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K wrote: | So they weren't Waugh's words and you were inaccurately reporting.
And that is a psychological thing, not a cricket thing.
And even on cricket, cricketers often say things that are completely untrue. |
It was words to that effect, notice the lack of quotation marks? |
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K
Joined: 09 Sep 2011
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Whoever suggests the psychological tics are about deliberate distraction is wrong. To the extent that an ex-cricketer at a sports night says that, he is wrong. To the extent the ex-cricketer avoids saying that, he is not wrong. |
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