Steve Smith: “The King of Consistency”

Every flow has its ebb….. Cricket is not an exception for it. ‘N’ number of superstars had diminished from the sky of cricket. At the same time, a very few who had hit the rock bottom, bounced back, knocked down the failures, dared enough to face the criticism and convert it into the rose petals on their path. That kind of unbeatable spirit is purely heroic. Steve Smith is one such brave heart!!!

Taking the boos from the people, digesting it, punching above the height and converting that boos into a standing ovation is not an easy joke! It is the quality of one with unshakeable determination and grit. Even though Smith has been the red giant of red ball cricket, and his hunger for runs can never be satiated, beyond that, that was the one time, he showed to the world, his inner strength.

Being an immediate successor of Michael Clarke as captain, Smith showed some glorious moments to Australian cricket. Even as a player too, he was at his prime, in all the three formats. But, in 2018, things took a U turn. Newlands ball tampering scandal had brought his fame down. Two years ban to be a captain was a pain which he could handle at least but getting a ban from all forms of cricket for a year was a big agony.

Crying in front of cameras, pleading for pardon, not being able to play the game he loves, made things tough. But hard times reveal what you are made of, whether you are brittle as biscuits or strong as stones. Smith belongs to the second category. This rehabilitation time made him strong, mentally, physically, in cricket language, technically too. He moulded himself as a better cricketer, more significant than his earlier version.

Then came the time of resurrection. It was 2019, Ashes. What else can be the right time for this phoenix to prove that it had risen from its ashes?! But the world outside was not people friendly. It was waiting to kick him down with his prior mistake. When Smith reached England, for Ashes, in 2019, English fans booed at him, wherever he went. They trademarked him as ‘cheater’ to thrash him.

But he did not break. That big gap taught him a lot. So he decided to divert his attention to cricket and move forward. The first test was in Birmingham. After Australia had lost its two wickets, he came to bat and the team score was pathetic with just 17 runs. As usual, the mantra, “Cheater” was uttered by every single English lips. But Steve Smith already became Steel Smith. He ignored it and entered into the pitch, which was his land to rule.

The wickets were falling in the next end, but Smith had settled there for another 70+ overs. He played some sensitive shots, crossed 50 and continued to conquer. He was sculpting his innings like a masterpiece script. Except Woakes, no other bowler could disturb him. He kept on batting like there will not be a new tomorrow. Finally, even when he scored a century, which was his ninth century in his Ashes voyage, boos were heard, overwriting the applauding sound. He scored 144 runs in that innings.

But Smith storm did not stop with that. It continued to hit Birmingham, in the second innings too. He scored 142 runs. And that time, more appreciation was there, more than a mere jeering. His century partnership with Head headed the team towards victory by 251 runs. Smith emerged out as the man of the match. after those career and character defining innings. Still, some negativity tried to shut the limelight on him.

But that could not darken him. In the second test, after the fall of Cameron’s wicket, Smith continued his ascendancy. The debutant Jofra Archer’s lethal weapon, short balls troubled Smith a lot, it hit him hard, once on his arm and then on his neck. At one point of time, he fell down and had to be checked by physio. The entire Australian camp was in silence as it reminded them of Phil Hughes’ demise. But, thankfully, nothing worse happened. It could not stop Smith from scoring another half century, he missed his century just by 8 runs. Smith was replaced by Labuschagne, on the last day, as the former was suffering a concussion. It was a historical moment in test cricket, as such substitution was happening for the first time. This made Smith miss an innings and another test too.

Australia went to lose that third test and the series was levelled. When Smith re-entered for the fourth test, Manchester had to see this monster’s magical form. Before the match, it was said that Archer would be troubling Smith. His line and length was disturbing Smith to some extent in the second match and that is what led to that prophecy. But Smith was there to break all those predictions.

Archer’s bouncers or Broad’s pace could not terrify him.  Setting up the batsman was not working up with him, he made Root and co to try all their plans. Finally, they were worn out and took him out of their equation. The red bullet thrown towards him was bashed left and right. Staying for more than 100 overs, 24 boundaries, 2 sixes were hit by him all around the ground and 211 runs were loaded, especially for the haters. With that, Smith set a record of being the only batsman in Ashes to score 500+ scores, for the third consecutive year. He scored 508 runs in 2015, 687 in 2017/18, 774 in 2019. The second innings also saw his eminence as he scored 82 runs. It aided Australia to win by 185 runs to retain the Ashes urn.

Even in the last Test at the Oval, Smith played a flawless innings. He continued his big knock hunt, and scored one more half century. That was his 10th consecutive half century against England, in the Ashes. No other batsman had done it before against any other opposition. Only Inzamam had hit 9 consecutive half centuries against England before. Also, since 2000, Smith was the only one to reach the altitude of 700+ runs, in a single series, more than once. Earlier, Don Bradman had done it 5 times, Gary Sobers did it 3 times, Weekes, Lara and Gavaskar had made it 2 times, just like Smith.

In the second innings of the last match, he got out for 23 runs, and that was the only time he scored less than 80 runs, in that series. With those runs, Smith had surpassed his earlier 769 runs in a single series record against India in 2014/15. Out of those seven innings, in six innings, he came to bat when the team’s score was less than 30 and performed outstandingly. When he got out to Broad, the whole crowd stood up to appreciate and applaud him. The people who mocked him earlier, with the ‘Crying masks of Smith’, were giving him a standing ovation.

Smith’s supremacy was super natural. He scored 774 runs, in that series, with an unbelievable 110.57 average. This was 35 % of the team’s score and it showed how successful he was, throughout the series. Out of seven innings he had played, only one time, he did not lift up his bat for half century/century celebration and that showed why he can be rightly called as the ‘King of consistency’.

Getting out for lbw or caught at leg gully, remained as his weakness earlier. He corrected that too. Being stopped for months together from cricket did not keep him out of touch but helped him to sharpen his skills and aided him a lot actually.

Smith had equalized the record of Sunil Gavaskar to score more runs (774 runs) in a four match test series. They were next to Viv Richards who scored 829 runs, in 1976. He also stood fifth, in the table for the maximum runs, in single Ashes series, with Bradman topping the table, with 974 runs.

Smith’s name was there in the top of the list in most of the stats of that Ashes series for maximum number of boundaries (92), most catches by a non-wicket keeper (12), maximum sixes from Australia side (5) etc. But more importantly, he got back his fort and throne to become ‘No 1’, in ICC’s test batsman rating.

Smith wrote history in that Ashes with brilliant knocks and numbers. But beyond that, from bits and pieces, he rebuilt his territory and that is the lesson to be listened to and learnt.

After all, ‘To err is human’ and that will definitely lead us to unwanted stagnating situations. But rather than accepting defeat, should swim across the shocking currents of life, with the ray of hope, so that shore can be seen soon and our oasis may be waiting for us to reach. Smith’s appointment as a vice captain recently, proves this philosophy!!!!