The biggest question throughout the English summer was how to get Steven Smith out before he gets another hundred. English bowlers tried all the bows from the quiver, but nothing worked. Every bowler got hammered and this is not the case this time around, the bowlers across the globe are getting humiliated from the hands of Steve smith for the past 8 years.
No bowlers has got the perfect measure of the batsman. But as we say Impossible is I am possible, Sportzcraazy has found out five sure shot easy ways to dismiss Steven Smith cheaply. Let’s take a look:-
Slow Left-Arm
Well, it is a known fact that Steve Smith looks susceptible against left-arm finger spin than any other form of bowling. His glorious batting average of 64.56 dips to 34.90. The top class left-arm spinners like Ravindra Jadeja, Rangana Herath and Keshav Maharaj have dismissed Smith cheaply on numerous occasions.
The irony is that even mediocre leg spinners caught smith off guard and savored great success against him. There is something about the angle and variations that keeps Smith guessing.
He just couldn’t predict the ball landing position and spin away from him. Usually, he prefers facing the bowl coming towards him.
High Release
It is a raw fact that Steve Smith doesn’t struggle against 150+ pace deliveries, he has a wide range of unorthodox strokes that allows him to bisect the field. He has savoured mind-boggling success against pacers with round-arm action, but in the past, he has shown some vulnerability to bowls released above his height. He faces challenges anticipating the length and bounce of the ball.
This is the reason Jofra Archer was so successful against Smith and eve floored Smith by his lethal bouncer. Jofra Archer average release point is 2.15 meters off the ground. According to the statistics Smith averages 73.6 against bowls delivered below 2.15 meters, but when the ball is bowled above 2.15 meters his average dips to 45.00.
Average off Stump Technique
Steven Smith has been adjudged LBW 9 time only in the last 110 innings, the technique looks vulnerable, but it is almost next to impossible getting him out on pads.
According to former Australian skipper and modern-day great Ricky Ponting “The one thing you have to do is try and challenge the outside of his bat. He doesn’t miss it on the inside,”
He does miss numerous deliveries outside the stump always keeping the slips interested.
Habit of Playing in the Air Through the Leg Side
Sometimes your strength can be your biggest weakness. Smith is invincible through leg side, but he does have the habit of playing the short ball in the air. It is more about setting the batsman and surprising him with odd deliveries. Smith is a smart batter, but he does struggle offside.
All you need to do is ball full, wide, but not wide enough tempting him to play the shot and then eventually mixing it with few odd bouncers. According to spin legend Shane Warne, he has figured out ways to stop Steven Smith Dream run-scoring spree:-
He said “You need to bowl full at him, not too wide but wide enough that he is looking to hit the ball through the offside. Then mix it up with the odd short ball, with a leg slip. That’s what I’d be doing.”
Lack of use of slower deliveries against Steven Smith
If as a fan you have followed all the games of Ashes 2019, you must have noticed the use of slower deliveries against Steven Smith, especially when he is fresh at the crease. He has been tested by the slower deliveries throughout the series.
He was deceived consistently by the sharp cutters and slower ones, but getting smith out requires patience. England bowled peach of the deliveries but lacked the persistence to hold the plan. They just couldn’t execute the plan.
This is the reason Smith amassed 751 runs in 6 innings he played in the Ashes 2019.
