Two things were often said and written about about Steven Smith’s batting style when he started playing test cricket for Australia:
One, that he walked too far and his bat came down from somewhere around the ravine. The combination of the two made it susceptible to inbound deliveries and a candidate for lbw.
Two, with so much confidence in hand-eye coordination, he was destined to fail to close and turn throws.
To be fair, these observations were spot on, given Smith’s unique technique.
Teams around the world crafted their plans against him based on these perceived weaknesses. They tried to dive full and straight in hopes of breaking through their defense and claiming their window through lbw.
Of course, it did not bear fruit, as we now know. Smith has been fired lbw to set the pace only a handful of times in his test career. Hitters with supposedly more organized techniques, such as Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Cheteshwar Pujara, are fired that way more often. That led to the first theory being discarded.
In fact, observers began to talk about how he was quite stable at the time of release, and how his front foot was always rooted in the stump of his leg, ensuring that he never fell off. As far as the bat goes, he did a loop on top of his backlift, but he was perfectly positioned in his stance (aiming between the goalie and the first slip) so he went down pretty straight.
Couture releases in England and twists on the subcontinent were expected to vindicate the second observation, as Smith throws himself into many deliveries. Sometimes he even hits them while defending himself from the effects. But that line of attack didn’t pay off in favor of bowlers either.
Like all great hitters, Smith found ways to succeed in difficult circumstances. His method of scoring runs also tells us that technique is only a means to an end and not the end and end of hitting. His mental toughness helps him channel his positive intention ball after ball, replacing any flaws in his hitting style. He may not be the most visually pleasing hitter, but he’s a modern hitting genius. Their methods are unique but they almost always work.
So how do you plan to fire Smith?
No matter how successful a hitter is, there must always be a plan to counter him, and Smith is no different. In fact, the older the hitter, the more plans you’ll need – a plan might work for a minor mortal, but not against a Smith or Kohli.
First of all, I strongly believe that Indian bowlers must realize that all of Smith’s movements before throwing the ball are insignificant. If anything, all that exaggerated movement only leads you into his trap, that is, it makes you launch straight for a lbw. It is not easy to ignore, but it must be done. It is important to cast the fifth trunnion line and a length that asks you to lead all the time. If you are going to make a mistake, you should go to a fuller bowl instead of a shorter one.
Since the first test is a day and night game, played with a pink ball, I assume there will be a little more grass on the surface than usual. That should be used to your advantage as a bowler. Players like Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah have the ability to move the ball sideways after pitching and that is most effective when batters have to deal with the front foot. It’s not that Smith can never be fired on one leg before, but it’s important not to actively pitch for that form of firing. By that I mean the ideal line and length for producing edges, and if the foreign ball goes in and hits the pads, great.
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Jason Gillespie: ‘You have to be ruthless with your discipline when bowling with Steven Smith’
Considering Smith’s history against the short ball, you will want to throw gorillas every now and then, but be careful not to overdo it. For players like Smith, an important part of their game is their ability to wait for the right moment and overcome a difficult spell. The knowledge that it is impossible for bowlers to maintain the same intensity and quality spell after spell empowers them. For India, considering Ishant Sharma is not around right now to keep things tight, it is even more important to resist the temptation to go overboard with gorillas, at least, as the main plan.
It is a fact that Smith will prepare at some point and then India’s plans must change. At that point, they may want to do to Smith what Australia has sought to do with Kohli: throw a sixth or seventh stump line with six or seven fielders on the opposite side. You must have complete faith in adopting this plan, as sticking to it for long periods will play an important role in determining its effectiveness.
Once the Kookaburra ball ages and the batter is ready, there is much merit in playing boring cricket. Trial cricket has many phases and faces, and not all of them are pretty. The key to being successful in Australia as a bowling unit is keeping the game under your control for as long as possible. If you get too adventurous at the wrong time, there will be no turning back.
Last but not least, if the ball starts to rock backwards, the side leg trap is also a viable option. Although playing on the side of the legs is one of Smith’s strengths, sometimes your strengths can also trigger your downfall. The leg-side trap is quite difficult to execute, as the ball must start from a little outside (for example, the fourth stump) and end inside the stumps, without actually falling down the leg. The success of this movement is highly dependent on the condition of the ball, as it is almost impossible to achieve it successfully if the ball is not rocked backwards.
Former India starter Aakash Chopra is the author of three books, the latest of which is The Insider: decoding the art of cricket. @cricketaakash
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