The Steven Smith Question

[Spark]

He's definitely in a much better mental state now than he was in SA last year so that should be a fun battle.

I’ve thought ever since that time that CA/the selectors/team management had to take heavy blame for the direct on-field events that led up to Cape Town, most specifically the decision not to rest Smith for the ODIs after the Ashes when the bloke was clearly just mentally shot, completely exhausted, and needed a break to recharge. His form nose-dived as a result and that was clearly a huge contributor to what happened, not least because it meant that we really should have been in a far stronger position in that series at that point in time having won the first game.

 

[harsh.ag]

 

[Gob]

Yeah if I was to say what his best innings from a raw batsmanship pov was, I would still say Dharamshala. That was a difficult pitch and he made it look like park cricket. Pune and the first innings here better innings overall though.

**** almost forgotten that Pune ton.

**** how did he make runs on that

 

[vcs]

His 2nd innings ton yesterday was also pretty special from a stroke-making perspective. Obviously an easier challenge considering he'd already negotiated day 1. But some of those shots he played yesterday were magnificent.

 

[harsh.ag]

Pune was madness. Made India eat it like no visiting batsman ever has on such a pitch.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Yeah if I was to say what his best innings from a raw batsmanship pov was, I would still say Dharamshala. That was a difficult pitch and he made it look like park cricket. Pune and the first innings here better innings overall though.

**** almost forgotten that Pune ton.

**** how did he make runs on that

Pune was madness. Made India eat it like no visiting batsman ever has on such a pitch.

Pune was his third best ton in that series tbh.

Edgbaston first innings, Dharamshala and Brisbane in the last ashes are his best ones imo. Loved his ton in SA back in 2014 too.

 

[Burner]

Pune was his third best ton in that series tbh.

Edgbaston first innings, Dharamshala and Brisbane in the last ashes are his best ones imo. Loved his ton in SA back in 2014 too.

That Pune knock is ridiculously over-rated. He was dropped half a dozen times at least iirc.

 

[harsh.ag]

Edgbaston first innings being a tad overrated because everyone else **** the bed.

 

[harsh.ag]

Didn't actually watch the Dharamshala innings so will take all of your word for it.

 

[Spark]

That Pune knock is ridiculously over-rated. He was dropped half a dozen times at least iirc.

He was dropped three times but that was a crazy, crazy hard pitch to bat on. Yes he had a ton of luck but it’s still a monumental achievement to score that many runs on that deck.

 

[OverratedSanity]

He was dropped three times but that was a crazy, crazy hard pitch to bat on. Yes he had a ton of luck but it’s still a monumental achievement to score that many runs on that deck.

The match was pretty much over imo. All it needed was then not do a 47 allout, and even that mightve ben enough.

Dont get me wrong, it was a very good ton, but I think we often overrate innings played on difficult decks or innings that come in wins . Those criteria seem to overwhelm everything else which determines how good an innings is.

The Dharamshala one was ****ing incredible. He looked invincible from ball one and was a crucial innings in the context of the match (which they ended up squandering but still).

 

[Burner]

He was dropped three times but that was a crazy, crazy hard pitch to bat on. Yes he had a ton of luck but it’s still a monumental achievement to score that many runs on that deck.

Nah, that can't be right. I am sure he was dropped at least 4 or 5 times and also had a plumb lbw that India didn't review. Look I am not trying to discredit his runs, it was a matchwinning innings, it's just that I don't think that innings holds a candle to other tons he's scored like the one in Dharamshala where you could have pencilled him into a ton, ball one of the innings.

 

[Malcolm]

He was dropped three times but that was a crazy, crazy hard pitch to bat on. Yes he had a ton of luck but it’s still a monumental achievement to score that many runs on that deck.

He was dropped five times IIRC. He also survived an LBW appeal. Great innings nonetheless.

 

[Slifer]

It was earlier than that. To me hiss legacy was cemented with his three tons in India.

This

 

[trundler]

The Steve Smith flick-pull is such an outrageous stroke. Love it.

 

[trundler]

I just want to watch him grind the poms into dust with a big double ton in a dead rubber now.

 

[GIMH]

Edgbaston first innings being a tad overrated because everyone else **** the bed.

That’s kind of the point though isn’t it?

122/8
First Test after ban
First Test of the Ashes (it doesn’t come any bigger)
England’s favourite venue

Ticks all the boxes for a great innings

 

[Kirkut]

Steve Smith approaches the game like a businessman. While Ian Bell after playing a cover drive lives that shot/moment fully Smith is least bothered by aesthetics and just wants to get the job done.

 

[Kirkut]

It makes me wonder if Smith is equivalent to a right hand Chanderpaul?

 

[Spark]

The match was pretty much over imo. All it needed was then not do a 47 allout, and even that mightve ben enough.

Dont get me wrong, it was a very good ton, but I think we often overrate innings played on difficult decks or innings that come in wins . Those criteria seem to overwhelm everything else which determines how good an innings is.

The Dharamshala one was ****ing incredible. He looked invincible from ball one and was a crucial innings in the context of the match (which they ended up squandering but still).

Haha I’m not actually disagreeing with you at all here. Just saying that it’s fair enough to rate Pune super highly, especially if you take into context how astonishingly rare it is for any Australian batsman to be at all competent on that sort of pitch. It was a marker, if nothing else.