Any concerns about Steve Smith’s form, fitness and ability to adapt to a new batting role have evaporated over the past three weeks as the former Australian skipper has made a sparkling return to high level cricket.
Yesterday Smith was again Australia’s standout batsman in their practice match against the West Indies in England, cruising to 76 as his side registered an ever-so-easy seven wicket win.
That was the 29-year-old’s third consecutive half century for Australia and gives him a haul of 278 runs at an average of 139 since he returned to the national side this month.
Smith has had to regain his touch in 50-over cricket, having not played the format for 15 months before his return. He’s also had to overcome a serious elbow injury and adapt to batting lower in the order than he is used to.
Having built an imposing record at number three in ODIs, Smith looks set to bat at four in the World Cup.
Steve Smith of Australia (AAP Image/Dan Peled)
This change could be brought about by the impressive combination built at the top of the order by Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja. The selectors appear keen not to break up that partnership, with regular opener David Warner and Smith both moving down one position in the order.
I had misgivings about Smith’s capacity to flourish in the middle order, as did many Australian fans.
He has always appeared best suited to anchoring an ODI innings from first drop, rather than the more dynamic approach sometimes required of a number four. I was unsure whether he could score swiftly enough to push the game along should he come to the crease in the middle overs.
So far, so good. Smith has batted at four in two of the recent practice matches, at five in one of them and first drop in another, maintaining a good strike rate of 95 across those four matches.
Prior to his one-year ban due to the ball tampering scandal, Smith had a dawdling strike rate of just 83 across his previous 30 ODIs.
That equates to a scoring rate of just 4.98 runs per over, which is not acceptable is this high-scoring era of ODI cricket. By comparison, a strike rate of 95 would be fine for a player of Smith’s consistency.
It will be intriguing to see in the World Cup whether Smith’s heavy recent exposure to T20 cricket, which demands more aggressive batting, will have helped him expand his strokeplay.
Since Smith played his last ODI, in January 2018, he has taken part in 27 matches in T20 leagues across the world, from Canada to the Caribbean, Bangladesh and India. In those matches the nature of the shortest format pressured Smith to take the game on more than comes naturally.
The Australian always has been adept at turning over the strike by piercing gaps and running hard.
These attributes remain valuable in ODI cricket. But boundaries have become more important than ever in the 50-over format, such has been the impact of the transference of T20 batting skills.
It is notable that in his four innings since returning Smith has cleared the boundary six times. He has never been a noted six hitter, having hit just 31 sixes across his 108-game ODI career.
On the sometimes-tiny English grounds in this World Cup, batsmen clearing the rope will be a common sight.
Australia will hope Smith will be able to follow suit, adding greater power to a game already blessed by impressive touch, timing and temperament.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Just getting the feeling he is not right yet.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
You're concerned that Warner can't bat at number 3? He's only batted there twice so far and made 39 and 12 in those warm up games. His batting style is so well rounded, and he is so talented and so experienced, that I think Warner could quickly adapt to batting anywhere in the top 6.
JamesH
Roar Guru
For Smith to be out answer to Joe Root he will have to score at a S/R of around 90, because that's where Root has been for the last two years.
Jameswm
Guest
Hence why Turner should be in the team.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Smith is always a four in my book. Warner is more the concern.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
I appear to be in one of my bulldog moods so I'm going to have another crack at this. Ronan seems to be saying that all the T20 Smith has been playing is largely responsible for his current good form and healthy strike rate. I just don't think that's entirely right. T20 has played an important role because it's kept him in touch with the game and its best players but imo a far bigger contributor has been the ban he just served. He looks recharged, refreshed and renewed. He's always been capable of playing like this but the relentless pressure of international cricket, coupled with the captaincy, had begun to take their toll. .. I noticed a general slow down in his output in the months prior to sandpapergate. He looked tired and wasn't quite the player he had been in any format. Then the Saffers came over here and destroyed us easily. Smith by then wasn't just looking tired, he was positively harried. The weight of the planet was on his back. Then they went to SA, he played relatively poorly and a piece of sandpaper caused his universe to explode. Since then, the break from international cricket has done him the world of good. He's had time to reassess and rejuvenate body and soul. That, I think, is the real reason for his current form. The fact he's had a long break from the game has lightened his luggage considerably.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
The way Stoinis has been bowling lately he's likely to get eaten alive, especially by the poms. The way he's been batting you'd nearly have to bat him in the top 4 just to give him enough time to get going. The problem is we're already flush with players up there and there's just no room for him. .. So yeah, overall, I agree with you on this.
Ouch
Roar Rookie
I reckon MMarsh probably would've been a better choice. It has to be Stoinis i think. Not ideal but the way England bat these days, part time bowlers like Smith, Finch and Warner could go for 60 off 4 overs.
TheCunningLinguistic
Roar Rookie
I notice a few Roarers advocating for Stoinis over Marsh, citing his bowling as a factor. I don’t believe that should be a factor. What we gain in batting exceeds what we ‘lose’ in bowling. Neither Stoinis’ batting nor his bowling have been good enough to justify his inclusion, I have enough faith in Maxwell to send down 10 overs, and if worst comes to worst, we have a few part-timers who could send down a few overs. I’d feel different if it was Mitch Marsh, as he is a much better One Day all rounder than Stoinis, but unfortunately, that is not an option.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
I see. I guess I missed the subtle distinction between playing more T20 style shots and deliberately trying to score faster. ps, It doesn’t seem to have helped Warner much at this stage. He seems to be struggling to find his 50 over form. Actually, I’m way more concerned about him than Smith right now.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
"I worry that if Smith goes out there with the idea “I must score faster” running through his mind it will upset his natural rhythm and reading of the match situation. " I made no suggestion that he will think like that or that he should. My point is that by playing nothing but T20 cricket during his time away from international cricket it may well, naturally, have added a more aggressive edge to his game. Prior to this ban Smith had far less exposure to T20 cricket than most of the other leading ODI batsmen - he had only played an average of a dozen T20 matches per year in the previous six years before his ban, with almost all of those matches coming during a brief IPL window each year. I think that lack of exposure may have held back the natural evolution of his white ball skills. We've heard a ton of top ODI batsmen credit their success in 50 over cricket to the widening of their batting horizons prompted by heavy exposure to T20s.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
This should be no surprise Ronan, but I disagree lol. I worry that if Smith goes out there with the idea "I must score faster" running through his mind it will upset his natural rhythm and reading of the match situation. The man is one of the best batsmen I've ever seen and I think he should be left to play the game as he sees fit. He's our answer to Joe Root and you don't see England putting the pressure on Root to up the ante. They seem to pretty much leave it up to Joe to read the game and approach his innings in his own way. I contend we should be doing the same with Smith. Put another way, we should be trusting Smith to work out for himself the best way to go about each innings he plays. Hitting him with a blanket command to go harder will not be a good idea in the long run imo.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Hi Michael Keeffe. I agree, but 83 was good in the past. Other teams are moving beyond that level of strike rate. I hope it will not be a handbrake or ‘anchor’ (to the score) the real definition.
Riccardo
Roar Rookie
Master-blasting on small grounds is certainly exciting but it will be the class acts like Smith (hopefully Williamson too) that provide the spine of the innings as the tournament goes deeper. In my lengthy armchair experience a boundary along the ground that produces only 2 less than the maximum is still a smart and valuable play, offering less risk on a miscue too. I've been impressed with the turn-around in Australian form in recent months. Warner 1 peg down is no major and he and Smith bring balance to the side. It's also good to see Starc regaining some form; he could be a devastating spearhead. Australia's all-round talent and their valuable, mostly winning, experience in these tournaments should see them competing at the pointy end where patient accumulation, morphing into cumulative aggression could be the difference.
Michael Keeffe
Roar Guru
It's amazing to hear a strike rate of 83 described as dawdling. I remember when it was an exceptional strike rate in ODI cricket. Having said that you are right Ronan and I totally agree, just interesting to see how much the game has changed over the last decade or so.
AREH
Roar Guru
I think four is just fine for Smith to come in and shape his innings depending on circumstance. He can still play an anchoring role in the middle overs to a large extent, and I wouldn't have him any lower than four.
Graham
Guest
I was impressed with his finishing against NZ Mind you I'd like to see smith and warner swapped so you have Warner Maxwell and Stoinis providing power down the order