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As Steve Smith took a walk back to the pavilion at the Newlands Stadium on getting dismissed by Morne Morkel, one could not have envisioned the fate that awaited him.
But it was going to be nuclear. Not only Smith struggled psychologically, but the undoing was bound to act as a harbinger for the rest of the generations and the support staff to come.
It may have been Warner who devised the plan and Bancroft carrying it out, however, the then Australian captain got smoked into ashes. Nonetheless, was Smith going to pick up from where he left when he returns? Or, if he returns?
On learning his destiny, the former skipper chose not to challenge them. The teary-eyed press conference post the announcement of his ban seemed to show a sign that he was terrified of losing his love for the game.
And he admitted he did, during his exile. Test cricket did miss him. Tim Paine sorely missed him in his side. Similar to Smith’s transition as Don Bradman’s reincarnation from a leg-spinner, his reintegration process in the Australian team, by no means, underwent smoothly.
There existed shades of his returning to his peak self in the IPL and World Cup. But from the perspective of the two sides, the highest honours depended on how he brings himself together in their 100-year old rivalry.
This Ashes for both the teams was going to be a game of nerves. For Australia, it meant slightly more than that. It consisted of redemptions, patience, skills, level-headedness, and doggedness.
David Warner and Cameron Bancroft made excellent strides prior to the match in Edgbaston, but brashness and lack of a clear thought process got the better of them.
This is where Smith stood steadfast. The boos weren’t stopping either way; neither did Smith. Instead, it fired him up.
Every time he walked out with the willow since his return, the former No.1 Test batsman got bombarded with unparalleled expectations. But he wasn’t going to bury under it, he swam and swam, and stayed afloat.
Then came Edgbaston where the Australians were swept by the Englishmen less than three weeks ago. And Smith predictably the centre of attention again.
Smith had a massive job at hand in the face of a jarring English crowd, having a responsibility to stop Stuart Broad from doing a Trent Bridge again.
Along with Chris Woakes, England hardly felt the void left by Anderson, chipping away the Australian batsmen with ease.
But the man from New South Wales hung around. His obsession was nowhere to go. Undeniably, he got beaten on more than a few occasions, including an lbw call that he survived, thanks to his thoughtful review.
But at 122-8, the impending didn’t look too far. But Smith had other ideas; he was desperate to announce his comeback. He smacked, smeared, guided, yelped, hammered, and yanked.
Smith moved on to 98, clattering a colossal six over midwicket off Moeen Ali. He followed it with a glorious cover drive to reach yet another milestone.
His celebration contained nothing sort of a roar that he brought out of himself on scoring a century at the Gabba in an identical scenario.
He took his time to sink that in and let out a smile that displayed nothing but tranquility. Post that, it became vintage Smith.
When Smith got castled by Broad for his fifth victim of the innings, he ran off rapidly to unload on England 12 balls of a torrid time.
The “sandpaper gate” may keep chasing Smith as long as he plays for Australia. Amid this, the former Australian captain announced his arrival with an epic Test ton and demonstrated that as an extraordinary athlete, the jibes could do little to skew away their concentration.
Needless to say that his job doesn’t end here – it instead magnifies. As England begin their process to edge ahead in the game, Paine and company may have to bat out of their skin in the second innings to oust the hosts.
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