Former Australian skipper Steve Smith is undoubtedly one of the best batsmen in world cricket right now. Whenever the team needs him the most, he always delivers. Apart from his impeccable batting skills, Smith is also famous for the style he bats at the wicket. The technique that he uses while batting is quite unorthodox and that has been one of the main reasons for his success in the international circuit.
The right-hand batsman has opened up about his technique and the weird superstitious things he does before facing a ball. In a short video clip posted on YouTube from the new documentary “The Test,” Smith can be seen revealing what all he does before getting to face a bowler.
As soon as he reaches the pitch, he hit his left pad once, followed by his right. The player goes on to touch his protective box from the left to right and takes his bat on the ground. But he does not stop there, he taps the bat in front of him once and then twice behind his feet.
Speaking about his weird routine, Smith noted that he knows he does some of the weirdest stuff out there. However, he further stated those weird things make him perform better while playing. He repeats that routine before every ball he faces.
“I do some weird stuff. I do not try to do it, it just kind of happens. I think it is left pad, right pad, box, one tap in the middle, two behind my foot, look up, two behind my foot, look up, tap, good to go. Every ball,” Smith said.
Smith is not the first cricketer to believe in such superstitions. Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar always used to wear his left pad first before going out to bat. Virender Sehwag used to wear a numberless jersey after consulting a numerologist. Before that, he used to wear number 44 on the back of his jersey which did not turn out to be too fruitful for the attacking batsman.
Smith’s former teammate and skipper Michael Clarke was fond of listening to music loudly before going out to bat as he believed that it helped him in concentrating better.
“The Test,” a new documentary on Australian Men’s Cricket Team will be streaming live on Amazon Prime Video from March 12.
