IPL 2018: Will Steve Smith flop?
Steve Smith is the best Test batsman in the world at the moment. It is hard to find fault with such a claim, as the Australian skipper is narrowing in on Sir Don Bradman's Test rating points.
He had a phenomenal Ashes series, scoring an incredible 687 runs in the five matches at an average of over 100. This took his career Test batting average to a virtually unparalleled 62. Yet, in the case of limited overs cricket, Smith's record is entirely different.
Out of the "Fab Four", Smith's limited overs record is arguably the worst. He struggled badly against England in the ODI series after the Ashes, averaging just 20.4 in five matches. Smith failed to convert on his starts, with a top score of just 45.
This is not a one-off but happened in Australia's limited overs tour of India last year. After another dominant display in the Test series, Smith failed to really get going in the ODIs - scoring just 142 runs over the course of five ODIs. Again, his average was below 30. It is clear that he is in poor limited overs form.
A lack Of T20 game time
Smith last played a T20 international back in March of 2016. This was during the World T20 competition, where Australia failed to make it past the group stages. Indeed, Smith's contributions with the bat were certainly limited.
He hit just 83 runs in four matches, with 61 of them coming in one match alone. Moreover, his strike rate of around 120 was relatively tame in a tournament full of large totals.
Looking back further than this, Smith's last bilateral T20I outing came during Australia's tour of South Africa earlier in 2016. An average of 23 and a strike rate of sub 120 once again reveal another disappointing outing.
To add to his woes, Smith has not played much franchise cricket in the intervening period. He did not play in the most recent Big Bash League because of the more important Ashes series, robbing him of T20 game time.
The last time Smith had an extended run of T20 cricket was back in last year's edition of the IPL. In that tournament Smith was relatively prolific, ending his 15 match run with an average of close to 40 and with three fifties to his name. Despite this, though, Smith's lack of T20 game time would have hindered his IPL preparation and his ongoing tour of South Africa will certainly delay this.
The IPL is not a priority for him at the moment and will probably be lurking at the back of his mind. In contrast, many IPL players have already started their training; the Kolkata Knight Riders have even embarked on a training camp to prepare.
Great expectations
The huge pressure that comes with playing in the IPL will not aid Smith. If playing in front of crowds of thousands wasn't enough, Smith was the only player retained by the Rajasthan Royals which shows the huge amount of faith their management has put on him to deliver. Moreover, as captain, if the team doesn't perform as well as they should, Smith will have to bear the brunt of the criticism.
When considering this and his recent lack of T20 game time, Smith could be in for a very tough IPL campaign. He will be pitted against some of the most talented bowlers in the world and every single mistake he makes will be noticed by the crowds of millions. All of the cricketing world's attention will be fixed on him.