3 fast bowlers who made getting Steve Smith out look easy in Tests
Former Australian skipper Steve Smith is the greatest Test batter of the era. His numbers speak for themselves - 8458 runs at an average of 60.4, with 29 centuries to his name. His unconventional technique has ensured that bowlers find it extremely hard to bowl at him regardless of the conditions.
Smith is the only active batter to average above 40 in every Test-playing nation (minimum five innings). This proves that he has a well-rounded record and has not particularly struggled in any condition or bowling attack. He has an extremely dominant record against India and England.
However, some bowlers have managed to dominate the Australian juggernaut. We take a look at three such fast bowlers in this article.
#1 Neil Wagner
It was the battle that captivated us during the #AUSvNZ Test series - the tireless Neil Wagner going head-to-head with Steve Smith and Matthew Wade https://t.co/F1tZ3AYQgV
Neil Wagner has been one of the most integral parts of the New Zealand bowling lineup in Test cricket. He has picked up 246 wickets in 59 matches at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 52.
He is known to be a relentless bowler, almost like a workhorse. He can keep bowling short-pitched and back-of-good-length deliveries to specific fields for long spells in order to take wickets.
Wagner easily has the best record against Smith in red-ball cricket. The left-arm pacer has dismissed Smith five times and conceded 80 runs in four Test matches. Four of those five came during New Zealand's tour of Australia in 2019/20.
The former No.1 ranked batter said it came down to the left-arm pacer's ability to be consistent in pace, length and line. His bowling brought the batter into a very awkward zone.
#2 Kagiso Rabada
South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada is one of the best Test fast bowlers in the world. His record in the format is almost freakish - 265 wickets in 56 matches at an average of 22.12 and a strike rate of 39.5.
He has dismissed the Aussie batter four times at a cost of 94 runs in seven Tests. The duel between Smith and Rabada has been one of the most intense on-field rivalries in Test cricket of late.
Rabada was even banned for a couple of Tests in the infamous 2018 series for "inappropriate physical contact" with the former Australian skipper.
#3 Morne Morkel
Bowlers dismissing a Fab-4 player twice in a test for single digit scores:-
James Anderson to Virat Kohli, 2014
Morne Morkel to Steve Smith, 2018
Alzarri Joseph to Joe Root, 2019
James Pattinson to Kane Williamson, 2019
Now, each of them have one such test.
#NZvAUS #stats
Morne Morkel was a part of the famous South African pace trio along with Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander. They formed a potent unit that challenged some of the best batters in the world. He picked up 309 wickets in 86 Tests at an average of 27.66 and a strike rate of 53.3.
The tall South African quick has dismissed Smith thrice in five Test matches, conceding 70 runs. In the infamous Newlands Test in 2018, he dismissed the Australian twice for single-digit scores in both innings. Both dismissals were similar - fending off a back-of-the-length delivery to gully. The extra bounce made it awkward for the former captain.
It also happened to be Morkel's second last match in red-ball cricket for South Africa, after which the two never faced each other in international cricket.