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How do you rate Steven Smith?

And [MENTION=1889]Saqs[/MENTION] get out clause has come into play
 
saqs needs to create a thread like this for a pak player so they too can lead us to a 2019 WC victory :afridi:
 
OP has no need to be embarassed. I didn't rate Smith highly either and thought he was rubbish a few years ago. SInce then he has imprved by leaps and bounds through hard work and has shut us up. Fantastic player.
 
He was superb in the knockout stages of the world cup and that was the last actual important cricket he played, if he flops on his paid vacation then it means nothing just as long as he is scoring runs when we tour the west indies next month.
 
Can Umar Amin become our Steve Smith?

He's beautiful to watch too, unlike Smith who isn't that bad either but Amin is probably the classiest around. :inti
 
What a brilliant player. He has an awkward and ungainly looking technique but he makes it work. I too didn't rate him before Australia's tour to India in 2013. After that he has simply been phenomenal.
 
Saqs 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.
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To be fair to the OP. Good gut feel there.
 
He has nine test tons and has cemented a spot as first drop batsman. Legend in the making.
 
To be fair to the op his bowling has regressed completely and I doubt anyone envisaged he would cut the mustard as a frontline batsman only. His form has been amazing though.
 
Quite possibly Australia's next 10 thousand runs maker in Test cricket, yep that's how good he is.
 
Amoeba said:
To be fair to the op his bowling has regressed completely and I doubt anyone envisaged he would cut the mustard as a frontline batsman only. His form has been amazing though.
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Well he was never actually an allrounder
 
2000 test runs over the last two years.

Only player to have done this in the timeframe
 
I have a feeling that in 10 years this thread will be bumped and the question will be asked if he is the greatest Australian cricketer in history, including Bradman.
 
He is officially the No.1 batsman in the world in the ICC rankings, surpassing Sangakkara.

Let's be fair to OP. Few people would have thought 2 years ago that he would become the best batsman in the world.
 
Steve Waugh predicted he was the greatest Australian cricketer emerging in the last 20 years.. at the time when he was a failure.
 
tempus123 said:
Steve Waugh predicted he was the greatest Australian cricketer emerging in the last 20 years.. at the time when he was a failure.
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Well he is a rarity because very few saw it. I saw as potentially an unorthodox number six who was a good player of spin. Not this.
 
tempus123 said:
Steve Waugh predicted he was the greatest Australian cricketer emerging in the last 20 years.. at the time when he was a failure.
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Interesting.Can you share any source.

Would like to see why he said it and what he saw what none of us could
 
Random Aussie said:
Well he is a rarity because very few saw it. I saw as potentially an unorthodox number six who was a good player of spin. Not this.
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Yeah i thought maybe a part time leggie who could at best average 38-40 at this level, had no idea this was coming or that he was such a mentally tough young bloke capable of playing the game changing knocks.

he is the anti watson really.
 
Chris Rogers wrote a great article a few years back about him and Andrew McDonald (now Leicestershire's coach) analysed the techniques of all our young batsmen.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/562641.html

This was in 2012 and he nominated Smith as the bloke who was making the required improvements.

Towards his return I thought he should return but figured he'd project to be a good, decent low 40s average player.
 
The very embodiment of 'average drab bits and pieces journeyman cricketer' when he first appeared!

But actually looking like he could turn out to be one of Aussie's best cricketers since the heydays of Steve Waugh's side.

lol I certainly would never have anticipated such a rise and fair play to Smith for working so hard to improve his game.
 
Saurav said:
Interesting.Can you share any source.

Would like to see why he said it and what he saw what none of us could
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I read it in an interview around 2-3 years ago, will see if I can find the source now. Even the reporter was surprised and asked was he better than Warne and Ponting also ? He clarified that as an individual he was probably lesser than Ponting and Warne in their individual fields (I mean you can't be better than Warne anyhow without being extra special).. but he was pretty close as an all-rounder. He hasn't proved his bowling yet, but Waugh saw him a top quality in both departments.

Now, as far as I remember, he said he saw a lot of himself in Smith and he found him more talented, despite him not scoring a Test century for long.
 
I feel for [MENTION=1889]Saqs[/MENTION], this is gonna be the most bumped thread in history
 
Steve Smith should mention Saqs, and give him a fitting tribute for creating this thread in his farewell speech once he retires! :srt
 
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Speaking of Steve Waugh - his son just dominated for NSW U15s
 
Donal Cozzie said:
I feel for [MENTION=1889]Saqs[/MENTION], this is gonna be the most bumped thread in history
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To be fair, what else would you expect when the worst Australian cricketer in history goes on to become the national team captain, and also scores five centuries in six tests to become the number one rated Test batsman?
 
Initially I thought he was a spinning allrounder who could bat a bit. What an improvement. The Australian system know how to moud cricketers.
 
I think his improvement says more about the individual character of the bloke than anything wonderful about our current system, we really haven't produced many quality batsmen this last decade.
 
I feel responsible for unleashing the beast within.

This makes me feel immensely proud.
 
What a turnaround!!! There is hardly a better feeling than proving your critics wrong, and the people who had kept faith in him must be feeling proud of him. Have a lot of time for players or professionals like him who have risen by improving their craft.. salute.
 
The turning point was when he tossed away his ambitions to become the next Warne and focus on his batting.
 
Honestly, this thread is proof that hard work is a game changer in cricket. He WAS absolutely rubbish 2/3 years ago. Now he really is the best batsman in the world.

Pakistan players could learn from this, even reading the progression of this thread - looking at you Shehzad and Akmal. And yet they won't.
 
cricfan14 said:
Honestly, this thread is proof that hard work is a game changer in cricket. He WAS absolutely rubbish 2/3 years ago. Now he really is the best batsman in the world.

Pakistan players could learn from this, even reading the progression of this thread - looking at you Shehzad and Akmal. And yet they won't.
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In Shehzads mind he's achieved all that can be achieved. Dropping him was a good idea, but as usual PCB showed how they function when he's back in all formats after no performances to back that up. Akmal, well he's a lost cause.
 
trogger said:
I think his improvement says more about the individual character of the bloke than anything wonderful about our current system, we really haven't produced many quality batsmen this last decade.
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There is no system better than Shield Cricket around. SA probably a close second.
 
Swann has had some interesting things to say about Smitty.

While Swann described Smith's form over the last 18-months as "incredible", he remains unconvinced by his technique and suggested flaws would emerge as his career continues.

"I didn't think he was a great player," Swann said. "I still don't think he's got a great technique. He bats five. I don't think he would score runs at three if it's swinging.

"He's a very good player of the short ball. He picks it up extremely quickly for his pull shot. He pulls the length that most people just fend at and nick. And he's been incredible over the last 18 months. He must have surprised himself, as well as everyone else, with his output. The trick for him is to try to keep that going. Whether he can, time will tell.

"In Australia, when we were going through them, he still hung around a lot. Normal balls that get normal batsmen out don't get him out because of his weird technique.

"But a bit like Jonathan Trott, how he was stellar at the start of his career, the more people study, the more they find weaknesses. Weakness will emerge with Steve Smith. He's not like a Steve Waugh, where there's no obvious ways of getting him out. He doesn't strike fear in you like the Aussies used to, with Matt Hayden or Adam Gilchrist."
 
Swann didn't play against Waugh, Hayden and Gilchrist.

I don't disagree though. Smith isn't a long term number 3
 
Saqs said:
Swann has had some interesting things to say about Smitty.

While Swann described Smith's form over the last 18-months as "incredible", he remains unconvinced by his technique and suggested flaws would emerge as his career continues.

"I didn't think he was a great player," Swann said. "I still don't think he's got a great technique. He bats five. I don't think he would score runs at three if it's swinging.

"He's a very good player of the short ball. He picks it up extremely quickly for his pull shot. He pulls the length that most people just fend at and nick. And he's been incredible over the last 18 months. He must have surprised himself, as well as everyone else, with his output. The trick for him is to try to keep that going. Whether he can, time will tell.

"In Australia, when we were going through them, he still hung around a lot. Normal balls that get normal batsmen out don't get him out because of his weird technique.

"But a bit like Jonathan Trott, how he was stellar at the start of his career, the more people study, the more they find weaknesses. Weakness will emerge with Steve Smith. He's not like a Steve Waugh, where there's no obvious ways of getting him out. He doesn't strike fear in you like the Aussies used to, with Matt Hayden or Adam Gilchrist."
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I guess we all knew this. Some of the leading run scorers today are just exploiting the favourable batting conditions post 2010, and this becomes very evident for batsmen who struggled a bit in the previous decade and made lots of runs this decade. Still it is all relative and if you are #1 it means you have made better use of the conditions compared to other players.
 
At one time, Sarfraz was crowned to be a tailender and worst cricketer to play for Pakistan.
 
You could say that about smith root williamson any of them really, we just don't know which ones are having amazing purple patches and which ones will become all time greats over the next decade.

Swann is a pretty obvious troll of course who no doubt would label his countryman root as flawless based on his similar patch of form.
 
Neferpitou said:
He'll negotiate swing just fine.
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He hasn't been tested at number 3 against swing just yet.

But currently he's our best option at 3.

I still have high hopes for Maddinson. He magically grows a brain when he isn't opening the batting
 
Swann obviously trying to mess with his head. Textbook technique is not necessary to negotiate swing, judgement of the ball and your offstump is. England better hope they can get him early because he'll make em pay.

Warner, Rogers, Smith, Clarke, Voges, Mitch Marsh. All 6 of em have shown very good application against swing.
 
tempus123 said:
Steve Waugh predicted he was the greatest Australian cricketer emerging in the last 20 years.. at the time when he was a failure.
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I wouldn't be surprised if Waugh did call it five years ago. He seems to be mentally very tough and Waugh probably saw a bit of himself in Smith. Its not like a Michael Clarke or Ponting or a Phil hughes who everyone expected a lot from and the potential was simply there for most people to see .
 
Convict said:
He hasn't been tested at number 3 against swing just yet.

But currently he's our best option at 3.

I still have high hopes for Maddinson. He magically grows a brain when he isn't opening the batting
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Obviously not against the class of Anderson in England but whenever he has faced any swing, he's covered the line well and his judgement of the off stump is great.
 
Neferpitou said:
Obviously not against the class of Anderson in England but whenever he has faced any swing, he's covered the line well and his judgement of the off stump is great.
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Perhaps. But he hasn't yet done it.
 
If his technical flaws were so bad a bowler would've worked him out by now. He's shown incredible consistency and has scored runs in every part of the world. Not my cup of tea as a batsman I'd pay a ticket to go watch as he's about as elegant as a meat carver, but if you're the Aussie team management then who cares as he's on his way to ATG status with his batting.
 
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