Australian cricket team’s star batter Steve Smith is my role model. The star cricketer made his International debut way back in 2010 and within a short span of time, the batter became an integral part of the Australian side. Steve Smith had come into the side as a bowling all-rounder but later during BGT 2013, he got a chance and made a strong case for himself.
Steve Smith holds a peculiar record to his name as the batter is a part of the victorious 2015 ODI WC, 2021 T20 WC & the recently concluded ICC World Test Championship 2021-23. It won’t be wrong to say that Smith is a big match player as he has contributed immensely in all the crunch matches of ICC tournaments.
Steve Smith’s batting style is quite unorthodox as the batter doesn’t have any significant weakness in his game plan. Smith is tipped to break all the cricketing records as currently he has 32 tons to his name and is looking unstoppable. Smith may not have a spectacular record in ODIs as compared to Tests, but the batter can change the complexion of the match with his attacking game plan and funky shots.
The way Steve Smith made a comeback after the ball-tampering in 2018, not many gave Smith a chance. Smith was banned from the sport for a year by CA and his captaincy too was snatched away. Steve Smith is the deputy of skipper Pat Cummins in the Test format.
Cricket Australia (CA) has shown faith in Smith despite being involved in the infamous ball-tampering scandal. Smith has got attacking tactics & game plan as compared to Pat Cummins. Steve Smith had a wonderful Ashes 2019 series and he silenced all the critics with his belligerent stroke play. Smith continued his brilliance against England and has got staggering numbers against the arch-rivals.
Steve Smith is expected to open the batting for Australia in the T20I format against South Africa in August-September 2023 in South Africa as the batter had a prolific BBL 2022-23. Smith though was unsold in the IPL auction but the batter can be the surprise package for the opposition in the upcoming T20 WC 2024 with his crisp stroke play.
Steve Smith will have to bring his “A” game if the Aussies want to clinch ODI WC 2023 which is staged in India. Smith was a part of the ODI WC 2011 squad as a right-arm over leg spinner but the side lost against India in the Quarter-Finals. I
It is assumed that Steve Smith would bat at the No.4 position in the marquee championship and guide the batters in the middle overs phase, especially against the spinners as the pitches in India are expected to assist the spinners.
Steve Smith’s journey is inspirational for all aspiring players. A Smith has shown a never to say die attitude. Smith would be keen to get his hands on the silverware in October-November 2023 in India which won’t be an easy task as this time all the 10 teams are evenly matched.
South Africa registered a resounding victory at the Iconic Lord’s. The visitors thrashed England and won the 1st Test Match by an innings and 12 runs. England would be dejected as there was no fight whereas Proteas would be over the moon as winning a Test Match at Lord’s doesn’t happen too often
SNAPSHOT: Powerful South African Team blissful after defeating England in the 1st Test Match
Bold Approach by Dean Elgar & bowlers
South Africa’s skipper took an audacious step by choosing to bowl first. The conditions were overcast, but bowling to intrepid English batters was a bit risky. The skipper gave the bowlers the license to be absolutely ruthless. They were bang on, especially Kagiso Rabada who ripped off England’s batting lineup. He took a 5-wicket haul and gave glimpses of the former Legendary fast bowler Makhaya Ntini.
SNAPSHOT: Kagiso Rabada thrilled after taking the wicket of Alex Lees in the 1st innings.
There was an extraordinary bowling display by Anrich Nortje. He was clocking pace at 150 km/hr., the way he set up Johnny Bairstow was a treat to watch. We all know how brutal Bairstow can be against any attack. Nortje knew that the best time to get him out is in the initial stages when he is vulnerable. He confused him by bowling different types of deliveries and then uprooted his middle stump. He was pumped up as he knew that he got the big fish. The speedster was a bit expensive but he took 3 wickets which is invaluable.
SNAPSHOT: Anrich Nortje delighted to see the back of Johnny Bairstow in the 1st innings.
England managed to score only 165 runs and was skittled out in 45 overs on the 2nd day. Apart from Ollie Pope who scored 73 runs in 102 balls, not a single batter scored 30 runs which means that none of the batters wanted to play innings. To some extent, the Britishers would argue that the overcast conditions yielded wickets on Day 1; but that doesn’t mean that they would throw the towel.
SNAPSHOT: Ollie Pope playing a shot and taking the responsibility of England’s batting in testing times.
A Complete performance from South African batters
The skipper Dean Elgar & Sarel Erwee blunted the new ball. Tackling Broad and Anderson isn’t everyone’s cup of tea as the duo can extract swing from a dead pitch too. The peculiarity of the opening partnership was that they focused on rotating the strike which disturbs the bowler’s concentration. The opening partnership was of 85 runs which was the cherry on the top for Proteas as half of the deficit was cut down.
The unexpected match-winner for South Africa with the bat was Sarel Erwee. He scored 73 runs in 146 balls. The elegant opener is a novice to the International Arena, yet he showed a lot of control as there was a bit of banter going on too.
SNAPSHOT: Sarel Erwee playing a cover drive shot against England in the 1st innings of the 1st Test Match.
The skipper Ben Stokes rolled his sleeve as the pacers weren’t getting the desired results. The flamboyant all-rounder bowled his heart out. He tried short ball barrage and astounded the batters by bowling a lot of variations and it was quite successful. The spectators were seeing the other side of Ben Stokes who had a fire in his eyes as he took 3 wickets.
SNAPSHOT: Ben Stokes celebrating a wicket after a lot of hard work.
210-6 was the score and then only Keshav Maharaj and Marco Jansen fretted the bowlers. The duo scored 40 odd runs each which meant that England was behind the 8th ball. At the end of Day 2, the lead was nearing 100 runs.
SNAPSHOT: Keshav Maharaj and Marco Jansen piling on the pain for England Cricket Team.
Day 3 is often said to be the moving day in Test Cricket. The tail-enders somehow took the lead to 161 runs. Stuart Broad attained a unique feat by picking up 100 Wickets at the Lord’s as he took 3 wickets, but he had to toil a lot. South Africa would have hoped that the likes of Markram and Rassie would get a big score as tail-enders scoring runs doesn’t sound well.
England Cricket Team in Tatters
England batters had a mountain to climb as the deficit was a huge one. They needed one of the openers to dig deep. The agony continued for Zak Crawley who this time was undone by the left arm off spinner Keshav Maharaj. Crawley hasn’t scored a half-century in the last 5 test matches; still, Paul Collingwood is backing him which is perplexing.
Once again, Nortje bowled thunderbolts and once again got rid of Bairstow. He took 3 wickets in his short spell of 7 overs. Earlier; Nortje, Ngidi, and Rabada had opted out of Bangladesh Test Series in April 2022 for participating in IPL. But now, it looks like the team is on right track.
SNAPSHOT: Anrich Nortje & team members celebrating the wicket of Johnny Bairstow in 2nd innings.
Ben Stokes tried to avoid some embarrassment but was unable to avoid the ignominy. The dark horse for South Africa was Marco Jansen who took 4 wickets (*2 in each innings) and scored a handy 48 runs in the match. He wrapped up the match for Proteas and gave a warning to England’s batters that he is more than a dark horse. The innings got wrapped up in 37.4 overs which means that English batters didn’t have the right mindset.
What’s wrong with England
England had won 4 back-to-back Test Matches (3 against New Zealand and 1 against India). They were rocking and everyone gave them the fearless tag they were. Brendon McCullum would know that his team had a bad day at the office. At the same time, losing a Test Match at Lord’s hurts a lot. Ben Stokes looks a bit exhausted and it won’t be wrong to say that his natural game is affected due to captaincy.
England already knows that they can’t reach the finals of the ICC World Test Championship at any cost. Now they are placed at 7th position out of 9 nations. They need to show some patience as whacking boundaries may not work all the time. They need to regroup and make sure that they are forming partnerships which are key to succeed in Test Cricket. Perhaps, we may see a dangerous England in the 2nd Test Match on 25th August.
What lies ahead for South Africa
South Africa has found a hole in England’s approach and created havoc. Dean Elgar played mind games against England which paid off. He was quite vocal stating that England’s approach is not sustainable. The Skipper is showing glimpses of Graeme Smith who used to be ecstatic. South African Cricket is getting great again after the turmoil and legal battles with the administration.
South Africa in World Test Championship has won 6 Test Matches out of 8 and are the table toppers. They are definitely on a song and they would be hoping that the Juggernaut continues. It is often said; that the higher you reach, the steeper it goes. South Africa would be aware of their collapses which often spoils all the hard work. Still, there is a lot to ponder for Proteas even after a clinical performance.
Johnny Bairstow came into bat when England were reduced to 48-4. Kemar Roach, Jason Holder and Jaydon Seales were literally on fire. They broke the back of England’s batting line up as the reset of England Cricket wasn’t quite fruitful as expected.
Bairstow and Stokes then rebuild the innings. They made sure that they get their eye in the match.
It was afternoon session when Bairstow started attacking. Attacking the bowlers in the sense, he was very much keen to rotate the Strike on a Consistent basis.
Bairstow’s peculiarity was similar to the knock he played against the Mighty Aussies at the SCG. The dashing batter made sure that Stokes played the waiting game.
In the evening session, the scintillating Bairstow went into beast mode. He was smashing boundaries on a consistent basis to the likes of Roach and Co.
Bairstow was using all shots in the book. Most of the times, he was seen using the cut shot and pull shot. He gave a glimpse of the old Bairstow who used to assert dominance over opponent.
West Indies Captain missed a trick by not giving the ball to Roach and Holder. Holder had mind boggling figures as he gave away 15 runs in 16 overs and took 2 wickets of Lawrence and Foakes.
Bairstow’s speciality this time was that he played according to the situation. The ball was doing a lot of movement as he made sure to be patient and cash in on an opportunity.
The way Bairstow handled collapses speaks a lot about his technique. The dismissal of Stokes was a blow to England’s innings as at that time the score was 115-5.
Bairstow got ample support from Ben Foakes. The wicket keeper batter had a dream comeback as he was stroking the ball smoothly. Foakes managed to score 42 runs. He made sure to up the ante as scoring was by no means means.
Bairstow notched up his 7th century and made a statement that he may be out of form, but he is not finished yet. The batter now has made a strong case for himself in England’s Middle Order.
Bairstow knows that his Job is half done yet. England’s score is 268-6. He would be hoping that England’s 1st innings score touches 350 scale mark.
The new ball is only 6 overs old. The fast bowlers can still extract a lot of swing which will make the 1st session a spicy contest. There are chances that England would score heavily and even score 400 odd runs.
West Indies Skipper would hope that his bowlers would take a leaf out of the morning session. All in all, the 1st session would decide the fate of the Iconic Richards-Botham Trophy 2022.
SNAPSHOT: Jonny Bairstow scores a Brilliant unbeaten knock of 109 runs.
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