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.
When we are listening songs which could be of love and inspiration; no doubt this type of songs are fictional and at the same time releasing our pressure and tension and giving a feeling of ignition in our life;
It would be a tremendous amount of attainment if we can listen these songs for example when we are listening a romantic song then in the place of that person we should think of our dream which could be a job, academics or any desired one but not that person because every time we listen the romantic songs we think of that person for an indefinite time which has got no significant outcome in an immediate manner and we completely become obsessed with that person even when there is no two way communication;
No doubt we should fall in love with the person we love but listening to romantic songs endlessly and imagining that person in every song and act is indeed inviting a havoc in your life.
When we get severely injured and have illness due to weakness then a doctor plays a humongous role as the doctor moulds us and makes us a resurgent individual; the amount of work which doctor does on us is unbelievable and unthinkable;
But it doesn’t mean that we should worship a doctor like god and goddess , because no matter how good a doctor is the main intention of the doctor is to make the individual come to the clinic and hospital ‘n’ times only for the sake of earning money in the name of treatment and this is a hidden fact which almost all doctors do in the name of their profession ;
There is no doubt that it’s very easy to criticize the process of doctor but the excruciating fact is that now the doctors think and somewhat believe that the patient is helpless as a result the doctors have innumerable power.
When we have a look at our result we have a feeling and expression of daze ; which we should respect as it is our product of hard work and perspiration whatever it may be whether a fruitful one or a nightmare one;
Our end result sometimes is not our desired one but it teaches us a lot more than our dazzling success; we should pull up our socks even if we succeed & try to perform in a better way than the earlier because the records and attainments are made to break; it means that we should outclass our previous performance by performing in an impeccable and immaculate way and manner.
When an individual becomes a student then that individual should remember forever that the tag of student is not for 4-6 years that tag is for lifetime;
Because knowledge which a student can get by living the life of a student is priceless and to have such attitude and gesture will definitely give more knowledge and that individual would somewhat become a wise individual;
The freedom which a student gets is unbelievable and unthinkable because the life and lifestyle of student is always sumptuous and luxurious; by being a student we are open to learn new things and grasp new concepts which an individual doesn’t show eagerness towards new things
When a person who has friends which are from childhood, professional, classmates and having such friends in life is an appreciable thing in this modern and professional world;
But there won’t be a single friend of yours who would listen to your problems and also for your success at your timing because everyone in this professional world is only curious if there is any intellectual talk and work; the person should not get disheartened and lose hope if the problem is not being solved ;
Then that person should analyse the entire problem and after analysing, the person will definitely find the solution and that solution was found only with the help of yourself. i.e. no matter how many friends we have who are there for our help and taking part in our success but the only person who would stand with you even if you fail and succeed is yourself; if we are with ourselves then we can attain our desired goal and that too with lot of turbulence and no one can stop us.
Why does an individual feels so much dejected when his/her respect and image of the lifetime is tarnished; no doubt that to create a name in this professional world and field it takes era/s;
But an individual should not get disheartened and think & believe that his/her life is finished and done & dusted because no matter how much and many stains we get on our character and image but we can still recreate and establish our old name by disseminating everyone with our exceptional and mind blowing work and performance which should be of zeitgeist quality ;
But there would still be some hecklers and ignominious people and organization who would target our past and poke fun at ; such type of treatment which people give us should be ignored and at the same time we should take their words and language as a blessing in disguise as these scoundrels want us to perform more than our potential which we always try to emulate ;
An individual should forever remember that the past cannot be changed at any cost but by doing deep analysis of the past we can learn and understand ‘n’ things about ourselves which none of the highly intellectual personalities and professionals can help us infinitely
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.
Bairstow has made a stand out comeback to the Test Setup, he notched up a Scintillating Century on Day 1. During that period England had lost 4 wickets for 48 runs and were in a precarious position. He then along with Stokes formed a crucial partnership, the partnership was a short one but they made sure that Caribbean Bowlers aren’t creating more havoc. Bairstow made sure that he plays responsibly and played according to the situation.
Bairstow went berserk after getting his eye in. He literally smashed bowlers for consecutive fours and dominated the game. He outclassed every bowler’s attempt to dismiss him. At the end of Day 1 Play, he had cracked up a Century.
The peculiarity of his century was that he played with straight bat. He played with a lot of positive attitude which was seen after a long time. He was as usual dominant in his style of batting and created a fear factor in opponent’s mind. Bairstow was seen relieved after scoring a Hard-fought Century.
Bairstow was under scanner for his performance. He had scored a Century in Ashes 2021-22 but that wasn’t enough for England to avoid an ignominy. The entire batting line up failed which resulted in the axing of Jos Buttler. Bairstow knows that he can be as lethal as Buttler and would hope that his second chance doesn’t get wasted.
Bairstow was often seen in and out of the team due to poor form. The former Director Ashley Giles, once said that Bairstow needs to have a reset. His form was so bad that selectors said openly about his omission. He was one of the senior statesmen who had immense experience and a proud record, but a sudden flip of form proved to be life changing for him.
His weakness was against spin bowling. In India Tour 2021 Bairstow got exposed to India’s foxy spinners. He wasn’t just able to move his feet in the right direction. His nemesis got exposed so much that the bowlers were comfortable in trying out new ways for getting him out.
In England vs India Test Series 2021 in England, once again he was seen having a torrid time. This time the pacers found the chink in the armour. His career was on a thin edge as smashing daddy hundreds are a must, especially from one of the best batters. ECB and Root backed him on a silent note as we will never know when a batsman founds back his groove.
The tour of Ashes started. Cricket Australia fulfilled England Cricket Board’s every demand and made Ashes 2021-22 happen. The backing paid off as Bairstow scored a magnificent century. He was seen toying with Aussie Quicks as everyone asked a simple question that why did ECB, Root and Silverwood didn’t play him before.
Earlier Bairstow was playing against his natural game. His natural way of playing is to attack and that too from the word go. It would be a huge relief as ECB finally got their old Champion Cricketer back.
His off side weakness was exposed as he wasn’t able to get off the mark. He used to get out in the initial stages which didn’t give him a chance to settle. Bairstow didn’t had the look in face when facing the bowler which was the main reason for his unforgettable outings.
The dashing batter is now back and looks set to inflict a lot of damage. His way of attacking the bowlers was unquestionable. He now has reinvented himself and we can say transformed his batting style. Bairstow would be happy that he took England out of trouble and made a strong statement that he isn’t finished yet.
The major test of character for Bairstow would be to continue the momentum forward in the 2nd Test Match at Barbados. The pitch is expected to be a topsy-turvy one where both pacers and spinners would be in the game. The performances of past can haunt him as he wasn’t a good batter when the bowlers were in full form. There are chances that West Indies opt for 2 spinners which can be threatening as well as fantastic as we all know that his destructive Bairstow can be against spinners as he showcased it against Permaul by whacking him all around the park; All in all, Bairstow has a stern test which may be difficult yet a dazzling one as Bairstow doesn’t easily throws the towel down.
SNAPSHOT: Jonny Bairstow is Ecstatic after smashing a Dazzling Century
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