“You play that shot 1000 times and you might nick one that fine” – Former Australian player on Steve Smith's failures in BGT 2024-25 Test series
Former Australian speedster Brett Lee has backed Steve Smith after his third consecutive failure during the second Test against India in Adelaide on Saturday, December 7. Lee called it 'bad luck' as Smith was caught behind by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant off Jasprit Bumrah.
This was the third time Bumrah dismissed him in Tests, conceding just six runs off 19 deliveries.
Notably, Smith has managed scores of 0, 17, and two in his three outings of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy so far.
Brett Lee told Fox Sports:
“(It is a) horrible way to get out. (That is) terrible for a batsman. I mean, you play that shot 1000 times and you might nick one that fine. You have to play that shot. You are committed to play that stroke because you can’t let it hit you. It’s just bad luck. He just needs (some) good luck. We saw the dismissal from the first innings in Perth where he stepped across and his head looked really still.”
“Steve Smith is a busy cricketer. But it was that extra bit of movement he was doing walking across the crease. But he looked like he tightened that up today and I thought he was in for a big one. It was a bit of bad luck, which happens, but you don’t change your style. That’s just the rub of the green,” he added.
“It is a tactic they have used against Smith and it has paid off” – Ravi Shastri lauds India for dominating Steve Smith
Ravi Shastri, meanwhile, lauded India bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj for sticking to their plans and delivering them against Steve Smith.
He said (via Fox Sports):
“You imagine the batsman feels he’s unlucky but it’s a plan. It is a tactic they have used against Smith and it has paid off. A lot of opposition teams do set that plan to him, so I don’t think they would have been too surprised about it."
"The angle that’s created, you always feel like you’re in the game if you are Jasprit Bumrah because of the extra bounce that he gets, so it was excellent work from Rishabh Pant to be aware of that. The angle that’s created, you always feel like you’re in the game if you are Jasprit Bumrah because of the extra bounce that he gets, so it was excellent work from Rishabh Pant to be aware of that," he added.
Notably, Steve Smith had 2042 runs in 19 Tests, including nine centuries against India before the ongoing Test series.