IND vs AUS 2020: “How is he playing for Australia?” – What a young Will Pucovski thought about Steve Smith
Highly-rated opener Will Pucovski has opened up about his first impression of star batsman Steve Smith, admitting that he couldn’t understand how the latter was part of the Australian side with his unconventional technique.
Speaking to 7Cricket, Will Pucovski spoke about his experience as a 12-year-old when he saw Steve Smith batting for the first time in Test match cricket.
“I remember Steve Smith was batting at 6 or 7 that day, and he had the weird technique and everything. And I was like how is this bloke playing for Australia like what is he doing? This is ridiculous.”
Will Pucovski's hilarious take on Steve Smith’s batting style
During the interview, the young Australian revealed that the first time he saw Steve Smith batting was during the Boxing Day Test between Australia and England in 2010. Australia had lost the Melbourne Test by an innings and 157 runs, with the home side being bundled out for 98 in the first innings.
Steve Smith was just starting his career at the time and ended up scoring 6 off 15 balls and 38 off 67 balls while batting at No.6. During the interview, Will Pucovski shed light on his first experience of watching Steve Smith bat as a 12-year-old. Looking back, Will Pucovski admitted that his first opinion on Steve Smith’s batting was one of the 'dumbest things' he has ever said.
Will Pucovski is not the first person to call out Steve Smith’s batting technique. The Australian is known for being a busy customer at the crease, and consistently makes the highlights reel due to his unconventional batting style.
Although the conversation around Steve Smith’s batting technique has been a recurring theme for years now, the Australian has silenced critics with his superb batting record. Steve Smith has an average of 62.31 in Test cricket, and has more than 12,000 international runs to his name.
During the interview, Will Pucovski hilariously admitted that this was the first time he had opened up about his initial impressions of Steve Smith. Pucovski, who is unlikely to feature in the Boxing Day Test against India as he recovers from a concussion, could soon be playing alongside Steve Smith in the Test team.