Where to bowl to Steve Smith?

[Uppercut]

See poll.

 

[Howe_zat]

I agree with Gary Naylor of 99.94

Bowl a fifth, even sixth, stump line and ask him to fetch the ball round his front pad to score on his favoured leg side. Ask him if he thinks his technique works with the ball swinging in England – because nobody else does. Remind him that on the next tour, he’ll be Number Three and captain just like another three time Ashes loser Ricky Ponting.

 

[Son Of Coco]

No bean ball option?

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Smith should really be on one of those ridiculous web ads.

Score runs using this one weird trick! Bowlers hate him!

 

[Son Of Coco]

The only problem with Naylor's analysis is Smith doesn't often fetch it around his front pad. If it's wide enough to hit on the off after he's shuffled across the crease, he hits it there. Gary obviously confused Smith with himself as he fetches another ice cream pie from around his front pad.

 

[Uppercut]

The only problem with Naylor's analysis is Smith doesn't often fetch it around his front pad. If it's wide enough to hit on the off after he's shuffled across the crease, he hits it there.

Right, and he's nowhere near as good at it as he is playing leg-side, so it's a good place to bowl.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Right, and he's nowhere near as good at it as he is playing leg-side, so it's a good place to bowl.

Nowhere near as good? I don't think that's true. He clearly prefers to play on the leg side, but he doesn't go to extreme lengths to do so to balls than can more easily be played on the off. If he did, he wouldn't score so many runs. Like any batsman, if you bowl tight to him you won't get pumped, but it's not as simple as just bowling 4th or 5th stump and watching him try to hit everything on the on side. 'Playing around his pad' suggests he plants his foot and plays around his front leg, something he doesn't often do.

 

[cnerd123]

Smith doesn't mind leaving the ball either.

 

[Cabinet96]

Reminds me of Trott pre getting himself out all the time and not being able to play the short ball. I'd probably bowl 5th stump line to him. Try to get him defending just wide of off stump.

 

[hendrix]

I would try a short leg and/or leg gully, and bowl straight.

 

[Flem274*]

Nowhere near as good? I don't think that's true. He clearly prefers to play on the leg side, but he doesn't go to extreme lengths to do so to balls than can more easily be played on the off. If he did, he wouldn't score so many runs. Like any batsman, if you bowl tight to him you won't get pumped, but it's not as simple as just bowling 4th or 5th stump and watching him try to hit everything on the on side. 'Playing around his pad' suggests he plants his foot and plays around his front leg, something he doesn't often do.

Hmm yeah he's more of a zone player than someone like say Ross Taylor who can cut/slash or clip through the onside to the same channel delivery. Smith has one option, but he does it well.

 

[Flem274*]

Beamer ftr

 

[Son Of Coco]

Smith goes alright through cover and point. Just doesn't play too many off drives.

 

[Furball]

Smith goes alright through cover and point. Just doesn't play too many off drives.

Not driving the ball through the offside is a pretty decent strategy for a top order bat in England ftr.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Leg slip #MSDGenius

 

[Uppercut]

Nowhere near as good? I don't think that's true. He clearly prefers to play on the leg side, but he doesn't go to extreme lengths to do so to balls than can more easily be played on the off. If he did, he wouldn't score so many runs. Like any batsman, if you bowl tight to him you won't get pumped, but it's not as simple as just bowling 4th or 5th stump and watching him try to hit everything on the on side. 'Playing around his pad' suggests he plants his foot and plays around his front leg, something he doesn't often do.

I think nowhere near as good is fair. He's happy to play off-side shots and does so very well but he'll still make far more mistakes doing so than he does playing leg-side.

 

[Dan]

Hmmm, after Finn's effort today (good line and length, seaming away), I really do think that the leg stump half volley with three short mid wickets is the most logical option.

 

[Son Of Coco]

I think nowhere near as good is fair. He's happy to play off-side shots and does so very well but he'll still make far more mistakes doing so than he does playing leg-side.

Unless he starts defending length balls outside off that move away from him by shuffling across and playing them to midwicket, you may be right.

 

[Top_Cat]

If there's one thing that typifies Smith it's that he's adaptable so bowling wide of off all the time will just turn him into the world's best off-side player. Guys like Smith, right now, about the best you can do is introduce doubt in his decision about whether to play to the off or leg or whether to attack or defend. There's no obvious vulnerability, just tactics.

I mean have a look at his recent outs. Aside from scoring a mother truckload of runs, he's been stumped a couple of times, LBW trying to reverse sweep a spinner and nicked out a couple of times early, something every batsman ever is vulnerable to. Got bowled a couple of times against India after scoring a ton or two, even managed to get run out. About the only pattern in that lot is that, at some stage, he may get out if he gets bored enough.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

You bowl to him the same way as 99% of other batsmen early on. Just outside off, try and make him play as much as you can and if he doesn't play at least don't give him free runs and make him chase bat on ball. If he gets set there's other things you can try but that's definitely the best way to get him early and Finn showed it quite well.