[VIDEO] Steve Smith vs Pakistan - who will win?

[MenInG]

Lot expected off him and he does have a good record against us but could new conditions end his domination of Pakistan?

His record vs Pakistan:

755 runs in 15 innings at an average of 53.92,

==

From his Instagram story:

“We have been here in Islamabad, Pakistan for a couple of days now settling in nicely, it’s great to finally be back in Pakistan playing some cricket for the Australian team, it’s the first time I have been here personally so I am looking forward to what this tour holds"

“It’s hard to believe that it’s our first away tour after 2019 ashes so guys are looking forward to playing in some foreign conditions and challenging ourselves it should be a great tour and we are all looking forward to it"

“And those asking about my concussion I am progressing really nicely. I have faced some spinners and some sidearms before we came away and I am going to face some fast bowlers tomorrow everything is going well and can’t wait to settle in here in a couple of days’ time"

 

[Major]

Had the thread been David Warner vs Pakistan that would had made sense because Pakistan finds it very difficult to get Warner out.

The guy avgs 100+ against us in test cricket. Even in odis he has been difficult to get out.

Steve Smith is nothing compared to how David Warner loves to bully us.

 

[sweep_shot]

Smith is no no longer the same old Smith. He has declined.

 

[MenInG]

Had the thread been David Warner vs Pakistan that would had made sense because Pakistan finds it very difficult to get Warner out.

The guy avgs 100+ against us in test cricket. Even in odis he has been difficult to get out.

Steve Smith is nothing compared to how David Warner loves to bully us.

You know these sorts of statements can comeback and bite you later

 

[Sam99]

Smith is past his prime now. Will be surprised if he hits even one century in this series or Australia's tour of asia over next year.

 

[Local.Dada]

Smith will do zilch especially against a quality bowling line up like Pakistan especially in these conditons. He is out of form.

But as they say class is class so can never count out such players but if I was a betting man I would predict a torrid time for Smith in this series.

 

[MenInG]

Australia's star batsman Steve Smith has revealed his recovery from concussion only progressed after recent treatment for a worrying vertigo incident.

Smith, who will face fast bowling on Tuesday for the first time since being concussed on February 13, says symptoms only eased after suffering a bout of vertigo.

Smith was treated by the Epley manouevre, where his head was manipulated to return inner-ear crystals back in place.

"A couple of Fridays ago I had a vertigo incident where I was struggling for a bit that day," Smith told reporters on Tuesday from Islamabad, where Australia is preparing for a three-Test series against Pakistan starting Friday.

"But I had the Epley manoeuvre and got the crystals back where they're supposed to be in the inner ear - it's not a very comfortable place to be, I will tell you that.

"After that, things settled down and progressed really nicely.

"I have been able to do all the exercise stuff that I needed to do to get myself back to that ready-to-play state, so everything is going well."

Smith was concussed when his head hit the ground while attempting a catch in a BBL game on February 13.

The Test ace hasn't faced any fast bowling since but will return against the pacemen at Australia's training session later Tuesday, local time.

"Recovering from that concussion, I have faced some side-arm and a few spinners," Smith said.

"So I have the opportunity to face some fast bowlers today which I am looking forward to.

"And I am looking forward to the next three days of prep before we get started on Friday.

"The head has progressed really well the last few days so I am feeling in a good space.

"I have done a lot of stuff where I have got my heart rate up to a good amount and brought it back down and that is part of the protocols of getting back to playing.

"And I had a couple of good hits in Melbourne before we came away.

"But today is obviously just about ticking off facing fast bowling. And once that is done, then everything should be fine."

The Australians will hold their first training session in Pakistan after hierarchy dismissed a death threat made via social media to the partner of spinner Ashton Agar.

Cricket Australia, the Pakistan Cricket Board and combined government security agencies investigated the threat, which was deemed as not credible.

"We're aware of social media and the unfortunate events that can occur on platforms across social media," Smith said.

"We have got a lot of people here working with us, we trust our security and everyone involved and we're feeling incredibly safe here in Pakistan."

https://7news.com.au/sport/cricket/test-star-smith-reveals-vertigo-incident-c-5888419

 

[MenInG]

Having acknowledged he takes pride in his batting performances away from home – his 'away' Test average of 57.10 is second only to Don Bradman's 102.85 among Australia batters to play 20 or more innings abroad – Smith relishes the challenge posed by his first visit to Pakistan.

And given his reputation as one of the game's foremost problem solvers whose capacity to think on his feet and find a way through unforeseen difficulties when at the crease, the combination of unseen pitches, unfamiliar venues and a largely unknown opposition attack presents him with a compelling contest.

"It's something I've prided myself on, being able to adapt 'on the go' to whatever is the circumstance or the surface in front of me," Smith said today.

"I think that's really important to be able to do that really quickly.

"The next few days will be good, being able to have a hit on the surfaces (in Rawalpindi).

"I don't know whether they (practice nets) are going to replicate what we're going to get out in the middle, we'll wait and see.

"I'm just excited to be in Pakistan and bringing Test cricket back here."

In addition to quickly familiarising themselves to alien conditions before the first of three Tests starts at week's end, Australia find themselves in the unaccustomed role of travelling Test team having mounted their most recent overseas campaign in England almost three years ago.

In that series, Smith was the supremely dominant figure with 774 runs at an average of 110 in the four Tests he played, including three hundreds and as many half centuries.

However, in the four Test campaigns he's completed since then – against Pakistan, New Zealand, India and England, all in Australia – the former top-ranked Test batter has returned a more mortal average of almost 37 with his solitary century coming against India at the SCG in January 2021.

And his series average of 30.50 in the recently completed Vodafone Ashes against England represented his leanest result in campaigns where he's batted more than twice since the 23.66 he managed in his final sojourn as skipper, against South Africa in 2018.

Smith acknowledged the paucity of Test cricket Australia has played since his record-breaking Ashes tour to England can partly explain the dip in his prolific run scoring, given his oft-documented need to find his 'hands' and his rhythm by hitting endless balls in the nets and in the middle on match days.

"I love getting on a roll and being able to play a lot of cricket, and just finding my groove," he said.

"It's been an odd couple of years, this is our first away tour since the Ashes in 2019 which is hard to fathom.

"The last away tour, I performed really well in the Ashes and hopefully I can replicate something similar in this series.

"The (recent Australian) summer was pretty tough, the wickets had a fair amount of grass on them and a fair amount of seam movement.

"But I love playing on different surfaces, and all the different challenges of playing on different surfaces around the world.

"Hopefully I hit a lot of balls in the next few days and find a nice rhythm going into the first Test on Friday."

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/ste...australia-test-series-archer-ashes/2022-03-01

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Prep done. Let’s play! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PAKvsAUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PAKvsAUS</a> <a href="https://t.co/G2w5S5IGlZ">pic.twitter.com/G2w5S5IGlZ</a></p>— Steve Smith (@stevesmith49) <a href="https://twitter.com/stevesmith49/status/1499299786075291649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Saj]

Interesting that his career Test average is 59.87 but in Asia that drops to 48.00

 

[Ab Fan]

It should be a good series. Don't think Smith has a hundred in Pakistan/UAE, will be a good contest.

Expecting this one to be more exciting contest of the two that are starting tomorrow.

 

[transparent opacity]

50 up for Smith.

Looking comfortable, has a chance to score big here.

 

[angrypathan]

It should be a good series. Don't think Smith has a hundred in Pakistan/UAE, will be a good contest.

Expecting this one to be more exciting contest of the two that are starting tomorrow.

Scored his first ODI century in Sharjah, but yeah no test centuries in Pakistan/UAE yet

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I wonder if certain so-called journalists have the gall to ask him the same questions they asked Azhar Ali yesterday considering Smith finished at a strike-rate of 39. I wonder if they will question his selfish batting approach of trying to play for himself and reach his century lol.

Anyway, brilliant stuff from Rizwan today to get his wicket. Took out his off-side play by getting Nauman to bowl on his legs. Once Smith started playing those hard sweeps, there was a high probability he was going to get one wrong. And once he did, Rizwan was already waiting behind the stumps to take the grab.

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[MenInG]

Pakistan need his wicket.

 

[MenInG]

Another 50 for him

 

[MenInG]

Steve Smith’s Midas touch deserted him in the field as the Aussie cricket star dropped three catches during the second Test against Pakistan — and was cruelly mocked for them by the opposition.

Smith put down a tough chance at first slip after Pat Cummins caught Babar Azam’s outside edge, diving across to his left one-handed when many thought it should have been left for wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

Standing at first slip for leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson, the batter couldn’t get his hand around another outside edge from Imam-ul-Haq that went low and to his right.

They were both incredibly tough chances but the third and final spill was as easy as it gets for a man with Smith’s fielding pedigree. Abdullah Shafique’s edge from Cummins went straight into the 32-year-old’s bread basket at second slip but he couldn’t hold onto that opportunity either.

Pakistan’s official social media account was happy to point the blunders out, compiling a video of all three drops and posting it online with the caption: “Don’t mind the spill.”

Viewers were surprised Smith — who has the safest hands in the Aussie team — would miss out on a hat-trick of chances.

Michael Appleton wrote on Twitter: “Steve Smith will be the most sheepish member of the (Australian) side tonight.”

For the most part — Smith’s drops aside — Australia’s fielding has been exceptional on this tour. Marnus Labuschagne has nailed two direct hit run-outs across the two Tests while Swepson did the same on day three.

The tourists will need to be perfect on Wednesday as they try to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Having declared early on day four with a lead of over 500, the Aussies took two early wickets before being confronted with a gritty Pakistan fightback.

The home side reached stumps on day four at 2/192 — meaning they need to avoid losing eight wickets on the final day to escape with a draw or score 314 more runs to produce a miraculous victory.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/crick...e/news-story/a12ebdaa38b7c744cb7c374db2ebb4b6

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[Rana]

He made amends but the drop catch took out 45-47 overs from the game as Shafique batted for 300+ balls

 

[Ab Fan]

Not all that convinced with Smith's batting in this series or if he is back to his best. He looked a shadow of his peak. This series was Usman Khawaja series.

Nevertheless, Smith already has series defining performance in England 2019 and India 2017. Hence, he just needed to succeed in Pakistan to get a green signal.

 

[Mobashir]

Not all that convinced with Smith's batting in this series or if he is back to his best. He looked a shadow of his peak. This series was Usman Khawaja series.

Nevertheless, Smith already has series defining performance in England 2019 and India 2017. Hence, he just needed to succeed in Pakistan to get a green signal.

He looked good.
Khawaja was better but they bat in different situations. It's easier to score for Khawaja in the early part of the game. Where as Smith. In this series, had often batted when Pakistan were in ultra defensive/negative bowling mode.

 

[Mobashir]

He made amends but the drop catch took out 45-47 overs from the game as Shafique batted for 300+ balls

Actually you are miscalculating. In these cases what counts is the partnership. So that drop catch cost them about 80 overs. It has to be one of the biggest drop, especially if Australia doesn't win the match.

 

[MenInG]

Usman Khawaja on Steve Smith:

"He is, in my opinion, the greatest batsman I've seen in my era, averaging 60 pretty much his whole Test career.

"I'm still in awe in how many runs he's scored over a long period of time.

"I find it so funny we're talking about Steve Smith not scoring 100s, he seems to be getting 70, 80 ... and doing it very easily. That's just the class Steve Smith has.

"I'm sure once he gets a big score, more big scores (will come). The fact he's getting those 60s, 70s, he's looking really good with the bat."

 

[Ab Fan]

Another good series for Smith.

 

[MenInG]

Lahore: Steve Smith made his way into the history books during Pakistan vs Australia 3rd Test match in Lahore on Monday beating the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid to massive Test record.

Smith has now become the record holder for most runs after 150 Test innings, courtesy of his 169-ball 59 on Day 1. He currently stands with 7993 runs. Former Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara occupies the second position with 7913 runs, followed by Sachin Tendulkar (7869 runs) and Virender Sehwag (7694 runs), Rahul Dravid (7680) are placed at fourth and fifth position respectively.

https://www.cricketcountry.com/news...lkar-virender-sehwag-and-rahul-dravid-1016606

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

If you've managed to stop Steve Smith from scoring a century all series...that too on 3 flat decks, you've done something right.

 

[Kianig89]

Gun batsman as for dropped catches Pakistan should be the last one to complain about drop catches

 

[silentkiller187]

Australian batter Steve Smith is of the opinion that he had three opportunities to get hundreds in Pakistan during the Test series in March. Australia's star batter has not scored a century since 2021 and during the Test series against Pakistan, he managed to score 226 runs from four innings.

Australia's star batter Steve Smith is one of the best of this generation when it comes to Test cricket. The right-handed batter has done well with the bat this ear in Tests but is yet to score a hundred since 2021. During the series against Pakistan, Steve Smith scored 226 runs in the four innings that he batted. Usman Khwaja was the only batter who scored more than him during the series for Australia.

The Australian batter talked about his chances to score centuries during the series against Pakistan. He also added that he feels he could have been a bit more aggressive against spin in Pakistan.

"I probably had three opportunities to get hundreds in Pakistan, I just didn't quite convert them. I feel like my plans were in a pretty decent place, but I could've potentially been a bit more aggressive against the spin over there, and played a few more shots,” Steve Smith was quoted as saying on The Unplayable Podcast.

Smith also talked about the challenge that he faced while playing reverse swing and said that it is one of the toughest things to do.

"But I was also batting at stages where the ball was reversing quite big and I know as a batter coming in next, it's probably the toughest thing to face a reversing ball on those kinds of wickets against some good bowlers in (Shaheen) Afridi and Hasan Ali.”

https://sportscafe.in/cricket/artic...o-get-hundreds-in-pakistan-opines-steve-smith

 

[BouncerGuy]

'Below my standards': Smith keen for runs after taxing year

While Steve Smith admits he needed a breather after his latest World Cup triumph that capped a taxing 12 months, the star batter insists he has no plans to join long-time teammate David Warner in hanging up his boots any time soon.

Smith begins his 12th home Test summer this week in Perth against Pakistan eager to recapture his best form, which he concedes has eluded him during a nine-and-a-half month stretch that has featured four marquee events.

The 34-year-old's single-minded approach to batting has long been part of his aura and he was one of the last to leave the nets at Australia's main training session at Perth Stadium on a sweltering Tuesday morning.

But his recent taking up of golf highlights an acknowledgement of a need to more occasionally switch off from cricket.

His assessment of his proficiency at his new pastime – "ordinary – but I'm just starting, give me time" – was typically self-critical.

"It's been a busy, busy year. I certainly needed a little break after the World Cup," Smith told reporters at Perth Stadium on Tuesday.

"It was good to have a week at home, and relax and refresh the mind and body as much as possible to get ready for this series.

"But now I feel like I'm in a good place. I think the boys feel like they're in a good place and are keen to get out and play some red-ball cricket again.

"It can be challenging with quite a busy schedule, but any sort of moment you can get to have a few days or a week just to get away from the game and get your mental side back to a position where you can go out and perform internationally, it's important.

"I've sort of got into the golf a bit and played a bit of golf back home. The boys are continually laughing about it at the moment, that I'm getting into golf."

Smith's draining year, which has also seen him feature in six KFC BBL games, two separate bilateral ODI series in India and three County Championship matches for Sussex, has had some notable highlights.

His centuries against India in the World Test Championship final and England in the bitter Lord's Test were integral to memorable Australian victories in 2023.

But his series averages of 29.00 (from four Tests in India in February-March), 37.30 (from five Ashes Tests) and 33.55 (from 10 World Cup games) fell short of his own expectations.

His blunt outlook on how he can get back to having the touch that made him the game's No.1 batter not so long ago – "just score runs" – clearly belies how deep his desire is to rescale those heights.

"I don't have to reinvent the wheel," he said. "I've performed at a high standard for a long period of time.

"You're right – I was probably below my standards of what I want. For me, it's about not overthinking it, not overplaying too much, not changing too much.

"Just going out and trusting what I do and doing it for longer periods of time, hopefully to get the big runs and hopefully help our team have success."

Smith accepted that the visiting pace bridage, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali, will pose a far greater threat on Australian pitches than they did on the highways the two sides played on in Pakistan last year.

But he knows no bowler really has his measure when he is at the peak of his powers.

Although he remains a constant tinkerer with his technique - "I reckon I've made technical changes every week for the last 10 years" – Smith has set finding the right tempo for the longest format as his major focus leading into the first of three Tests against Pakistan.

And those matches, he insists, are as far ahead as he is looking.

"I just take it day by day and enjoy my time playing," Smith said when asked if he had considered his retirement plans in the wake of David Warner's desire to finish after next month's Sydney Test.

"While I'm enjoying it, I'll keep playing. I'm not in any hurry to make any decisions. I'm pretty relaxed and looking forward to the summer."

SOURCE: CA​

 

[BouncerGuy]

Steve Smith has reached his fifty now. Slow and steady innings but took his team out of trouble.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

May come back to bite me in the third test but Smith seems finished as an elite test batter.

 

[Rana]

Smith isn’t anywhere near his best, but a big player will never desert his side when the team needs them the most

This is why they were and are the Big 3. Babar, this is what we need from you. Not a 45 ball 60 against New Zealand C in a pointless T20

 

[Rana]

When the chips are down, that’s when the Roots, Kohlis, Kanes and Smiths of this world stand up!

14-4 (74-4) on the brink of an embarrassing home defeat against a Pakistan side in transition….

My man stood firm and stood strong. Salute to these legends of the game.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Smith era has passed

I have hardly seen him scoring across formats in the last two years