Steve Smith’s one-year ban from international cricket could have the positive side effect of making him a better, more dynamic white ball batsman thanks to his heightened exposure to T20 via domestic leagues.
Smith this week signed on to play up to 13 matches in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League, a strong competition which attracts some of the world’s elite T20 cricketers, having just completed a six-match stint in the Global T20 Canada tournament.
Given Smith is banned from Australian domestic and international cricket for another eight months, there’s a good chance he may play in other T20 tournaments. He can choose from the likes of the Bangladesh Premier League this October and November, and the Hong Kong Blitz next February.
It’s possible Smith could play 30 or more T20 fixtures during the period of his ban.
This would be a massive increase in T20 exposure for Smith, who has had limited involvement with the format. Over the past six years, Smith has played only 12 matches a year in T20s, with most of those games crammed into a short period each year during the IPL. In that six-year-period he has played a paltry ten T20 matches for Australia.
Such a lack of consistent game time in T20 cricket hampered his ability to adapt to the ever-changing demands of the shortest format. As I wrote earlier this year, Smith is no longer an automatic choice in Australia’s T20 team, despite being captain of that side up until his ban for ball tampering.
This is due to Smith’s lack of dynamism in T20Is, a format which demands batsman be capable of reaching or clearing the boundary regularly. The international version of T20, which is typically played on very flat pitches, has become extremely high scoring in recent years, so much so that a total of 200 is no longer an intimidating chase for the top teams.
Sides, therefore, cannot afford to accommodate batsmen who score as slowly as Smith, who has a strike rate of 125 across his 155 career T20 matches. That much is evident from the recent omission from the England T20 side of superstar batsman Joe Root.
Root has a very good average of 36 in T20s but his slow strike rate of 128 seems to have put off the England selectors, who instead chose more powerful strikers.
Root, like Smith, has been held back as a T20 batsman by his relative lack of exposure to the format, which requires very specialised skills. Both Root and Smith clearly have the potential to be very good T20 batsmen but they need more regular game time in the shortest format to develop the required power game.
If Smith does play 30 or so T20s during his year-long ban, that heavy concentration of short-form cricket will surely fast track his development. There is every chance he will return to international cricket as a more versatile and destructive batsman.
That would be great news for Australia’s ODI team, which is in need of becoming more dynamic with the blade. Since the last World Cup, ODIs have become a far higher scoring format. Australia in the past two years have been brutally exposed as having overly-cautious, outdated batting tactics in an era where massive totals of 350-plus are commonplace.
Since the last World Cup, Smith’s strike rate in ODIs has been unacceptably slow at just 84, which equates to a run rate of just five runs per over.
Smith remains a valuable ODI batsman, capable of anchoring and guiding an innings nicely but when he returns, Australia need him scoring at a strike rate much closer to a-run-a-ball. His glut of T20 cricket this year may just help him take that leap.
Smith’s ban may just make him become a better limited overs batsman.
Andre Leslie
Roar Guru
I was just about to write this same opinion piece. Beat me to it! While Smith's time in the T20 leagues seems to be showing promise... Warner seems to be down on his luck. What a stinker of an LBW call that one was in the CPL this morning!
bobbo7
Guest
I have some doubts he will ever get back to those heights again. A fine player, but even before the ban he was struggling a little bit. ODI form has also been average. I hope he does return (not as captain) and does well because the sandpaper saga aside, I don't mind him. The lying about the sandpaper at the press conference means he can never be a captain again for mine - they cheated and then were stupid enough to lie about it. That said, I blame CA - too young to be a captain and who in their right mind would give Warner any type of responsibility? A loose cannon like that needs a firm leader.
Akkara
Roar Rookie
I don't think Smith will been the player he was ever again. Even if he does come back to the team, there will be such a negative vibe around him, that he will not enjoy the experience. Also, in the Australian setup, it is hard for an ex-captain to continue to play in the team. CA has messed up the career of another one of our cricketers by making them captain well before they are mature enough for it. While he may have been good at some facets of captaining, he is certainly not in many.
Bakkies
Roar Guru
How many available players will SA have? Morkel and AB de Villiers have retired from international Cricket. Steyn and Amla can't be too far away. Ngidi broke down in Sri Lanka.
Bakkies
Roar Guru
Good thing is that Channel 9 no longer have the rights so they can't go on about Warner all Summer long.
Just Nuisance
Guest
It is not just Aus cricket that needs him back , the world game does too . There are few enough superstars out there as it is. From my side here in South Africa I would love for these 2 teams to have another crack at each other but this time with all available players and free of the baggage which ruined the last series.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I suspect both Smith and Warner will play some Sydney Grade cricket. But it's currently the middle of winter here. There is no Sydney Grade Cricket to be playing.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Smith will probably play a fair bit of IPL before the World Cup which I think, again, will be good for him as expanding his strokeplay is the key thing he needs to improve about his 50-over batting.
Bunney
Roar Rookie
Initially James, yes. I was very critical of Smith's wormy way of trying to deflect blame immediately after. Implicating Starc & Hazlewood by citing "the leadership group" was a massive boo-boo. My judgement is he took ownership of his failings between then and when he got home, based on his press conference in Sydney. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see he was hurting and I'll bet everything I own Smith has made a determination to never be involved in ball-tampering and other dodgy activities again. And he'll stick to it.
Big daddy
Guest
To me Smith is keeping a lower profile than the other 2. Warner is the chanel 9 favourite and gets more exposure than any other player. Langer is pushing Bancroft s barrow.
James
Guest
How did he take ownership? Ownership would have been telling is what actually happened instead of being so incredibly vague. He said the leadership did it, more than half the team could be considered in that group. His complete lack of understanding of the severity of what he had been a part of was apparent in his initial admission. I dont think he took ownership or showed any leadership. He will obviously walk right back in and i hope he is as good as he was but he is a grown man who is a cheat and thought that cheating wasnt a big deal.
BurgyGreen
Guest
It's a long time to go without game time against international standard opposition, and especially without red ball cricket (though maybe he can squeeze in a few county rounds before the World Cup?). Still, in the past he's shown himself unusually adept at mastering his own game and quickly readjusting when out of form. Most likely he'll be back to a very high standard a few games into his return.
Mango Jack
Roar Guru
You're in the minority there, yowie. Smith's crime was a lack of leadership,and he is paying a big price. There's every chance he will return a lot more mature and ready to lead more effectively. I certainly hope so.
AREH
Roar Guru
Your opinion if you think that - but a pretty poor comment nonetheless. Forget the back of the queue; he leads it. Can't imagine too many that don't want to see him back doing what he does so well at the crease.
JayG
Guest
I think there is a high likelihood of the Bangladesh Premier League getting rescheduled to January next year due to general elections in Bangladesh. Also, even if NSW make the Shefield shield final, the dates will clash with the beginning of the IPL. It will be interesting to see which Smith will choose to play.
Adz Sportz
Roar Guru
There's almost zero doubt that Smith will return to the national side. And Yowie, I think your comment is unwarranted. People make mistakes. People make dumb mistakes. The way Smith repays the team, the fans and the country, is to score a mountain of runs and contribute to the success of the national team
Adz Sportz
Roar Guru
I think it will. The time off would be beneficial for his physical fitness and when he returns to the side, all he has to focus on is his batting, without the burden of the captaincy and perhaps without a role in the leadership group. If his only role in the team is to score runs, expect him to pile them on
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I suppose I differ there Rellum, I think Smith has copped a monumental punishment already, he doesn't need to do anything extra to show his commitment or remorse from my perspective. I'd be happy for him to play 12-15 matches in the Bangladesh Premier League (which finishes mid-November) play three months of grade cricket from late November to late February, and then play the Shield final in March.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I am sure he would but he needs to show for mine that he is happy to slug it out in grade and show that he happy to cop his ppunishmen. Ward off as much negativity as possible for his return to the Test and ODI teams. Some short term gain in playing higher standard opposition might add even more pressure long term if he is seen as off grabbing cash from other T20 leagues. He will also be helping grade players by playing against them. I hope you are right Ronan and he at least plays the second half of the season at home. NSW have also stated he will be free to play in the Sheild final. Tjey said that without a hint of arrogance either which is something, even for them.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I find it hard to envisage any situation in which Smith won't come immediately back into both the Test and ODI teams after his ban. Aside from his obvious talent, the guy is so mentally strong that I can see him having a massive World Cup to announce his return.