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How do you rate Steven Smith?

Saqs

Saqs

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Seriously.

This guy is an absolute embarassment. Macgill could bowl better than him even at his age now.

And who taught him how to bat? Chris Martin?

Keeping out much more worthy players, and he somehow gets the nod in all forms of the game.

There was a lot of hype around him in the start, and I thought he may need 1-2 years to prove himself, so I waited...and waited....and waited...but he has continously failed and so this thread is completely warranted now.

Surprised there was no thread about him already.

Is he the Australian equivalent of ....wait, I'm struggling to think of another useless player of his calibre.

(Somehow I think this thread may come back to haunt me when Smith holds up the Ashes urn and a World Cup trophy in the distant future).

inb4thathappens.
 
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He looks a bit like shane warne, apart from that he is very overrated
 
Isn't ready for test cricket. But he is a useful cricketer to have for the shorter formats. Calling him the worst is a little OTT.
 
So steven smith epitomises everything that is wrong in modern cricket? ;-)
 
Isn't it true he got picked to liven up he atmosphere in the Aussie dressing room? :)))
 
He is indeed a terrible player.

Whatever happened to the production line of Sheffield Shield cricket that used to produce so many quality cricketers? I've heard it said that that the current generation are all being distracted by T20, but if that's the case, then why aren't Australia doing better at that format?

I do recall one player who was even worse than Smith, although unlike Smith he didn't play Tests:

Mick Lewis.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/player/6291.html
 
Can't stand still for 15 seconds. Average cricketer at best.
 
Every time I see his pudgy face I wish to kick it in several inches.
 
He is a sort of Cameroon White, I think smith can bat well down the order but he needs to improve his bowling. That is key, if he can get in 6 - 7 overs he can be useful in shorter formats as a batting all rounder.
 
without a doubt. Aussies are desperate for a leg spinner and if this is the best they've got then it's not looking too good for them.
 
Can't play as a specialist batsman, or all rounder.

He can play as a specialist spinner though in limited overs considering Australia's lack of good spin options.
 
Picked far far too early and nowhere near good enough.

But then again, we have had a couple of all rounders who were widely condemned as terrible for their first couple of years. Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson.
 
The worst part is his bowling my brother can bowl better that him his batting is nothing special as well. To be honest even him playing at the deomestic level doesn't seem right.
 
Saqib Salman said:
Seriously.

This guy is an absolute embarassment. Macgill could bowl better than him even at his age now.

And who taught him how to bat? Chris Martin?

Keeping out much more worthy players, and he somehow gets the nod in all forms of the game.

There was a lot of hype around him in the start, and I thought he may need 1-2 years to prove himself, so I waited...and waited....and waited...but he has continously failed and so this thread is completely warranted now.

Surprised there was no thread about him already.

Is he the Australian equivalent of ....wait, I'm struggling to think of another useless player of his calibre.

(Somehow I think this thread may come back to haunt me when Smith holds up the Ashes urn and a World Cup trophy in the distant future).

inb4thathappens.
Click to expand...

LOL ..have you seen his attemped cover drives...well there aren't any because he hits the air as the ball always gets past through this huge bat and bat gap
 
To call him the worst ever is OTT but he's very mediocre (at best).

As an aside, Shane Warne, as good a player as he was has an absolutely horrible eye for talent. He rated this kid.. and Yousuf Pathan as the best things since sliced bread. :facepalm:
 
^ Add Sohail Tanvir to that list as well. :facepalm:

I seriously don't understand how this kid got picked in the first place, and why the selectors keep persisting with him despite it being very clear that he's not a good enough player at international level (not yet anyways).
 
Average leg spinner and mediocre batsman. Aus are trying to create their version of Afridi.
 
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Saqib Salman said:
Seriously.

This guy is an absolute embarassment. Macgill could bowl better than him even at his age now.

And who taught him how to bat? Chris Martin?

Keeping out much more worthy players, and he somehow gets the nod in all forms of the game.

There was a lot of hype around him in the start, and I thought he may need 1-2 years to prove himself, so I waited...and waited....and waited...but he has continously failed and so this thread is completely warranted now.

Surprised there was no thread about him already.

Is he the Australian equivalent of ....wait, I'm struggling to think of another useless player of his calibre.

(Somehow I think this thread may come back to haunt me when Smith holds up the Ashes urn and a World Cup trophy in the distant future).

inb4thathappens.
Click to expand...


No, we've had worse. Mick Lewis anyone?
 
Random Aussie said:
Picked far far too early and nowhere near good enough.

But then again, we have had a couple of all rounders who were widely condemned as terrible for their first couple of years. Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson.
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This.

I think he's an excellent fielder, has potential with the bat but has shown very little with the ball. Maybe needs a few years playing in the first class game.
 
he sint that bad . Needs little more contorl on his bwoling & few adjustments in his batting ..he is a pretty decent LOI allrounder . I think he can be a better bat/bowler than Brad Hogg for Aus in few years time .
 
Talking of Smith, wondering where is James Hopes? The guy looked a decent all-rounder for limited overs cricket.
 
I think one very important thing to look at when you talk about the worst player ever for any team, you should say how many matches is the qualification for players to look at!
 
Hopes is a lot better than Smith. As there is a dearth of Aussie spinners, they seem to think they can get the next Warne.

What I want to know is...he can't be THAT bad when he played that blinder at Headingley v Pakistan! He certainly isn't a test no.6- that policy in the Ashes was a bad joke.
 
Wasim_Waqar said:
Hopes is a lot better than Smith. As there is a dearth of Aussie spinners, they seem to think they can get the next Warne.

What I want to know is...he can't be THAT bad when he played that blinder at Headingley v Pakistan! He certainly isn't a test no.6- that policy in the Ashes was a bad joke.
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He has talent and has done well with both bat and ball at first class level. But he is not ready for international cricket end of.
 
Certainly should be nowhere near the test side. As far as limitted overs, he is a decent hitter - so at most I would give him a chance in T20s. His bowling is utter rubbish though.

If anything he is in the team as a specialist fielder.
 
I don't mind SS, though I can understand why he's been deselected for Tests (at least for now), in spite of having performed better than some of his team mates during the Ashes.

I didn't think much of Smith's legspin until that magic ball to dismiss :shakib for nine in the 2nd(?) ODI earlier this year. This young man might not be :warne 2.0 but he's got some talent.
 
Cricinfo don't think so

Steven Smith is the most promising Australian spinner since Shane Warne emerged - but he is more than that. He carries the extra advantage of being an outstanding batsman who could soon slot in to the top six for his country, whether he bowls or not.
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^That's the very thing.

So so much hype. It was unbelievable the hype he got when he hit the scene here.

The thing is - how has he kept his spot in the side for so long?

They were quick to axe another overhyped player (Phil Hughes - who I actually rate and want to do well). Why the persistence with Smith?
 
Saqib Salman said:
^That's the very thing.

So so much hype. It was unbelievable the hype he got when he hit the scene here.

The thing is - how has he kept his spot in the side for so long?

They were quick to axe another overhyped player (Phil Hughes - who I actually rate and want to do well). Why the persistence with Smith?
Click to expand...

Again, see Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson. Both took a fair while.

But playing him as LO player is hampering his development IMO.
 
Random Aussie said:
Again, see Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson. Both took a fair while.

But playing him as LO player is hampering his development IMO.
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Why compare him with Simmo and Watto? Why not compare him to White who also came in as a legspinner who could bat? White has given up on his bowling altogether and I can see Smith doing the same.
 
Genghis said:
Why compare him with Simmo and Watto? Why not compare him to White who also came in as a legspinner who could bat? White has given up on his bowling altogether and I can see Smith doing the same.
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You were asking why they persist with him. I gave you the answer why they persist with him.

White is a different player, nobody ever thought he could be an international class spinner, not even his biggest fans.
 
speaking of Cameron White.. what happened to him?
Not only he has lost his form he looks technically awful too. Seems like he is back to square one.
 
To be fair to the aussies, Watson was quite average when he started. In fact, he was average for a few years, after which he started to develop into a really good player
 
He's unpleasant on the eye, hardly turns the cherry and is an ugly slogger with the blade.
 
Energy said:
Talking of Smith, wondering where is James Hopes? The guy looked a decent all-rounder for limited overs cricket.
Click to expand...

At 32 he's been deemed too old by the boffins in charge.
 
Random Aussie said:
Again, see Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson. Both took a fair while.

But playing him as LO player is hampering his development IMO.
Click to expand...

It's funny with Symmo - it was totally a confidence thing. I had a look at his stats a couple years ago. Prior to that match against Pakistan in 2003 he averaged 30 in one day cricket. All matches post that it ended up over 50.
 
Random Aussie said:
Again, see Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson. Both took a fair while.

But playing him as LO player is hampering his development IMO.
Click to expand...

Fair point. But I could see potential in both of them. Smith not so much.

Phil Hughes needs the same confidence from selectors!
 
Australia surely have a better all rounder than this guy, they are the number 1 side and their domestic was considered the best. Common Aussies find another Watson or Symmo.
 



Yep I like McDonald and Hughes as well--I remember Ronald bowling maiden after wicket-to-wicket maiden v SA and Hughes hitting like a maniac.

Smith has promise but is overrated imho. He's a pretty crap bowler and an entertaining but rather inconsistent batsman. Fast tracked too early
 
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He's a very good fielder. Hes batting technique is poor but he does have a good eye and so can be a good useful hitter.
Main problem is his bowling - it just looks all manufactured but worse he hardly spins the ball.
 
He's a very good fielder. Hes batting technique is poor but he does have a good eye and so can be a good useful hitter.
Main problem is his bowling - it just looks all manufactured but worse he hardly spins the ball.
 
Guess he played a very fine knock against Pakistan last year ?
 
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I think he is average, but will improve with time. He do has some talent.. Need time and a lot of tips... Need to spin the bowl a bit more.. he is lacking confidence I feel... Shane War..ne can help him alot:D
 
reply to the o.p:
yes he is the worst in recent times, me n my cxnz call him the australian version of fawad alam..... as useless as fawad
 
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I think Australian selectors are picking players with literally no FC experience and hoping some miracle happens and they become world beaters.

In mean time they are not picking players like Hodge, David Hussey, Jacques, Mcdonald and so many others who deserve but are not picked because of their age.
 
Watson was always a good player just that he go injured just about every time he played
 
Cricfan4eva said:
I think Australian selectors are picking players with literally no FC experience and hoping some miracle happens and they become world beaters.

In mean time they are not picking players like Hodge, David Hussey, Jacques, Mcdonald and so many others who deserve but are not picked because of their age.
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Nope not correct. Almost all our gun players from years past were picked on very little FC games. There is a 2 stream process, potential Test players and other guys who have to work their ass off to get a go.

Method is the same, the players are not.
 
I think they have thrown caution to the wind of late (esp since Merv was ousted) - Chappel has strange ways of doing things and it is showing.

Some of the selections have been quite surprising, and come across as seemingly random.
 
His dismissal today was the funniest thing since Sehwag's king pair. The most epic of fails.
 
There are tons of Aussie spinners around, but if they're not good enough, they could always poach a few from Pakistan and grant them honorary citizenship. ;-) :raza
 
WalkingWiggett said:
There are tons of Aussie spinners around, but if they're not good enough, they could always poach a few from Pakistan and grant them honorary citizenship. ;-) :raza
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Let that be an English speciality :) One team doing that is enough.
 
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He literally is the Aussie version of England's Chris Schofield.

Undercooked leggie. Bizarre batting technique, handy at the best of times.
 
Is nowhere near the worst cricketer in our history. Hyperbole from PP really.

He is a talent who is so undercooked he still moos.
 
I just dont get it, what do the selectors see in him? 20 odd odis and not crossed 50 once

Pak have dropped Legends with better stats than those!:malik:fawad:afridi:amin:moyo:rao:ahmed:irfan
 
IMO the Aussies have tried too many players in too little time and now they are trying to repair it by trying one player for too long. SS should be sent back to domestic circuit where he needs to learn on how to make the most of an oppurtunity.

P.S: Hand a bottle of beer to Symmo and get him into the team. His offies are better then most of blokes we've seen in recent past:fawad
 
Random Aussie said:
Is nowhere near the worst cricketer in our history. Hyperbole from PP really.

He is a talent who is so undercooked he still moos.
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Indeed. I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually becomes a very good international player. Though his bowling is generally part-time, much like Symonds and Lehmann, and his batting is nowhere near theirs. And he's much much MUCH MUCH better than David Hussey who fires once in a year if that.

At the moment, though, I think he's been introduced too early and persisted too long, he's keeping out much better players like Andrew McDonald, James Hopes, Steve O'Keefe, Daniel Christian and James Hastings simply on account of his age and some vague "promise".
 
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1137moiz said:
I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually becomes a very good international player.
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I would :))

He might grind out a career with the Australian team but he's essentially a bits and pieces player. Australian cricket is far too esteemed to hold players of inconsistent performance levels (and, it has to be said, questionable attitudes) such as him in high regard for long periods.
 
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