Many were surprised when the name of Steve Smith was announced in the Australian Twenty20 side this week, but for a select few, such as myself, who have had the chance to watch the youngster closely, Smith has had a baggy green pegged for awhile.
I have been able to watch Smith closely during his rise in the ranks. We both played for the same junior cricket club, went to the same high school and played in the same high school cricket sides.
I remember my very first cricket presentation, hearing of this young Steve Smith who had smashed the record books with just as much ease as the cricket ball, earning Junior Club Cricketer of the Year, he would add the Senior award as soon as we was eligible.
The best example of what the man is made of was during a high school cricket game where we played the famed Endevour High School, whose pace attack included the recent Australian international Moises Henriques.
Whilst myself and the other fellow 12th graders sat in the dressing room fumbling excuses as to why we could not face the 140km/h plus Henriques, out trod the then four-foot Year 9 student Smith who promptly told us all to “harden up”, albeit with language much more colourful. Smith then proceeded to tear the Endevour attack all around the park.
He was always a controlled batsman prepared to build an innings whilst other batsmen got lost in the male ego of trying to impress their mates with a wave of fours and sixes, although Smith’s 83 not out off just 52 balls last weekend showed he is an entertainer as well.
His tidy leg-spinners are quickly gaining more and more fans with even Shane Warne rating Smith as potentially the leader of generation next.
He has played Australian U19’s for multiple years, captained Sutherland First Grade, won a World T20 Championship with the NSW Blues and now will have played for his country, all at the age of 20.
Whilst the team fitter is measuring Smith up for his Australian Twenty20 uniform, perhaps they could size him up for the Test and One Day uniforms, which, although sometime in the future, if Smith continues to score runs, take wickets and win admirers this frequently, they wont be far behind.
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