K's hommage to Steve Smith
Steve Smith's atrocious T20 World Cup
Finch fit but Australia battling for form before T20 World Cup
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/fi ... 58xqx.html
"Of the key Australians in the IPL, only Glenn Maxwell and Josh Hazlewood have put in some strong performances.
Maxwell has scored three blazing half-centuries in his past three matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore, including two player of the match awards. Hazlewood has taken seven wickets in six games for the Chennai Super Kings, including a player of the match 3-24.
By contrast, both David Warner and Steve Smith have been dropped more than once by their IPL franchises and are currently not playing."
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/fi ... 58xqx.html
"Of the key Australians in the IPL, only Glenn Maxwell and Josh Hazlewood have put in some strong performances.
Maxwell has scored three blazing half-centuries in his past three matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore, including two player of the match awards. Hazlewood has taken seven wickets in six games for the Chennai Super Kings, including a player of the match 3-24.
By contrast, both David Warner and Steve Smith have been dropped more than once by their IPL franchises and are currently not playing."
Last edited by K on Sat Nov 20, 2021 6:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
"If it was all to prepare best for the World Twenty20, it hasn’t quite worked out for David Warner or Steve Smith, who have struggled to get a hit for their franchises. Australia would have given them a game." (M. Conn, SMH)Lazza wrote:They have other strengths that will counter some deficiencies with spin. I’m confident that they will have a pretty competitive series and will surprise in a few games. I hope the other teams underrate the Aussies at their peril.
Can’t wait for the games to start and for the boys to open up a few doubting eyes.
Kapow!
Dirk Nannes:
"I just think when it comes to the business end of the tournament, Australia will be left short."
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCHtAoVVEAM ... ame=medium
Look at the photo. Is that Flat-Track Bully Smith being bowled yet again?
Wowee... His defective technique is being exposed a lot even in slogathons.
"I just think when it comes to the business end of the tournament, Australia will be left short."
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCHtAoVVEAM ... ame=medium
Look at the photo. Is that Flat-Track Bully Smith being bowled yet again?
Wowee... His defective technique is being exposed a lot even in slogathons.
Langer was quoted as expecting scores to be low this tournament.
That's Oz's best hope. If scores are high, the bowlers dunno what to do and the batters don't have enough firepower. Maxwell has firepower, but e.g. FTB Smith can't score quickly. When FTB Smith tries to clear the fence, he almost swings himself off his feet, but the connection is so poor the ball at best barely makes it.
It's kinda odd seeing skinny Maxwell hit balls out of the stadium but obese Smith struggle just to make the ropes.
That's Oz's best hope. If scores are high, the bowlers dunno what to do and the batters don't have enough firepower. Maxwell has firepower, but e.g. FTB Smith can't score quickly. When FTB Smith tries to clear the fence, he almost swings himself off his feet, but the connection is so poor the ball at best barely makes it.
It's kinda odd seeing skinny Maxwell hit balls out of the stadium but obese Smith struggle just to make the ropes.
Woakes and Jordan totally destroyed Smith's defective technique.
Just a teeny weeny bit of seam movement was way too much for the flat-track bully.
1st ball, Woakes to Smith: no run; "And he is squared up by seam movement. Short of a length, outside off, he looks to get behind it in defence, but is done in by late movement" (cricinfo).
2nd ball, Woakes to Smith: no run, left outside off.
3rd ball, Woakes to Smith: no run; "This one seams back in, and draws a big lbw appeal as Smith is shuffling across. Hit a touch too high on the pad" (cricinfo).
4th ball, Woakes to Smith: 1 run.
5th ball, Jordan to Smith: OUT c. Waokes; "Smith looks to pull this from well outside off, and the ball ... lobs up off the toe end." (cricinfo)
Sheesh...
FTB Smith could only play 2 balls out of 5 safely - and one of those 2 was a leave!!
Smith is a flat-track bully. He has a defective technique.
Just a teeny weeny bit of seam movement was way too much for the flat-track bully.
1st ball, Woakes to Smith: no run; "And he is squared up by seam movement. Short of a length, outside off, he looks to get behind it in defence, but is done in by late movement" (cricinfo).
2nd ball, Woakes to Smith: no run, left outside off.
3rd ball, Woakes to Smith: no run; "This one seams back in, and draws a big lbw appeal as Smith is shuffling across. Hit a touch too high on the pad" (cricinfo).
4th ball, Woakes to Smith: 1 run.
5th ball, Jordan to Smith: OUT c. Waokes; "Smith looks to pull this from well outside off, and the ball ... lobs up off the toe end." (cricinfo)
Sheesh...
FTB Smith could only play 2 balls out of 5 safely - and one of those 2 was a leave!!
Smith is a flat-track bully. He has a defective technique.
Well, the media were claiming before the England game that other countries would fear playing Oz now... Sheesh... That after two unconvincing victories against minnows.Lazza wrote:... I hope the other teams underrate the Aussies at their peril.
Can’t wait for the games to start and for the boys to open up a few doubting eyes.
The England game was another reality check. (And of course it yet again showed bowlers destroying Smith's defective technique when there's any movement at all.)Low scores are still Oz's best hope... But not if it's low-scoring for Oz and high-scoring for the oppo!K wrote:Langer was quoted as expecting scores to be low this tournament.
That's Oz's best hope. If scores are high, the bowlers dunno what to do and the batters don't have enough firepower. Maxwell has firepower, but e.g. FTB Smith can't score quickly. When FTB Smith tries to clear the fence, he almost swings himself off his feet, but the connection is so poor the ball at best barely makes it.
It's kinda odd seeing skinny Maxwell hit balls out of the stadium but obese Smith struggle just to make the ropes.
Instead of blowing hot air and throwing insults, why don't you face up to the facts?Pies4shaw wrote: <blah, blah, blah> ... look like the ravings of a madman.
Do you really deny that with just a teeny weeny bit of seam movement Woakes and Jordan destroyed Smith in that innings?
It was not a hard pitch to bat on. Just look at how the English FTBs belted the Oz bowlers.The ball-by-ball description of Smith's pathetic innings is damning.
And this isn't the first time. It reminds me of many other Smith innings. e.g. when Cummins totally destroyed Smith's defective technique in the IPL last year, exactly as I'd predicted here years before. Smith couldn't even get bat on ball!!K wrote:Woakes and Jordan totally destroyed Smith's defective technique.
Just a teeny weeny bit of seam movement was way too much for the flat-track bully.
1st ball, Woakes to Smith: no run; "And he is squared up by seam movement. Short of a length, outside off, he looks to get behind it in defence, but is done in by late movement" (cricinfo).
2nd ball, Woakes to Smith: no run, left outside off.
3rd ball, Woakes to Smith: no run; "This one seams back in, and draws a big lbw appeal as Smith is shuffling across. Hit a touch too high on the pad" (cricinfo).
4th ball, Woakes to Smith: 1 run.
5th ball, Jordan to Smith: OUT c. Waokes; "Smith looks to pull this from well outside off, and the ball ... lobs up off the toe end." (cricinfo)
Sheesh...
FTB Smith could only play 2 balls out of 5 safely - and one of those 2 was a leave!!
...
(You are very, very quiet about that one too...)Smith is a flat-track bully. He needs there to be zero movement in the air or off the pitch. And even then he can fail against dangerous bowlers.
Of course T20 pitches are mostly flat. The problem for Smith in T20s is the pressure to score quickly. He cannot outslog the other FTBs. He has so little power, he cannot reach or clear the ropes. The other FTBs can.
Oz's best performances this tournament have been when DudSmith did not bat.Pies4shaw wrote:Just an update on where the Batsman Better than Bradsmith are in this tournament.
...
There's a Fairfax article on how Oz's improvement has come from moving Marsh back to number 3, after the failures of others (including DudSmith) at 3. Maybe you'd like to read it.
Well, Lazza, they might well win the WC! But that won't make them "excellent"!! Wouldn't be a very worthy Slogathon Champion. But dunno who would be.K wrote:Surpised you are so optimistic.Lazza wrote:Excellent squad that should do very well. ...
They've fallen off a cliff in the past year. The biggest problem is that they're hopeless against spin.
They are certainly hopeless against spin. Fell apart against the leggie in the SF. Of course, FTB Smith was atrocious against the leggie. He has a known weakness against the ball spinning away. He was lucky not to be out for a duck second ball. (Edged past keeper.)
Malcolm Knox states the obvious re. Smith:
"Maxwell has been a disappointment...
He owes Australia something special in the final but remains an integral part of Australia’s white-ball set-up. The same can’t be said of Smith in the Twenty20 team.
Smith could also do with something special, but that has as much to do with saving his T20 career as winning Australia the title. His shot against Pakistan was an unnecessarily skied slog when he was out for five. All he had to do was bunt the ball down the ground for a single and get a motoring Warner back on strike.
... Smith’s lack of a power game hurts him in T20. In this tournament he has an average of 23 and strike rate of 97 for a T20I career batting average of 27 and strike rate of 126 in 51 matches."
(The Age)
[But Knox swallows the Myth of Smith in the other forms of the game.]
"Maxwell has been a disappointment...
He owes Australia something special in the final but remains an integral part of Australia’s white-ball set-up. The same can’t be said of Smith in the Twenty20 team.
Smith could also do with something special, but that has as much to do with saving his T20 career as winning Australia the title. His shot against Pakistan was an unnecessarily skied slog when he was out for five. All he had to do was bunt the ball down the ground for a single and get a motoring Warner back on strike.
... Smith’s lack of a power game hurts him in T20. In this tournament he has an average of 23 and strike rate of 97 for a T20I career batting average of 27 and strike rate of 126 in 51 matches."
(The Age)
[But Knox swallows the Myth of Smith in the other forms of the game.]
Luckily for Oz, this continued in the SF and F. Of course DudSmith did bat (and fail atrociously) in the SF, but Wade and Stoinis got the job done.K wrote:...
Oz's best performances this tournament have been when DudSmith did not bat.
There's a Fairfax article on how Oz's improvement has come from moving Marsh back to number 3, after the failures of others (including DudSmith) at 3. Maybe you'd like to read it.
So when it mattered, and when Oz looked best, this was DudSmith's contribution:
DNB
DNB
5 (Lucky not to be out for a duck 2nd ball)
DNB
Plus DudSmith dropped a sitter at the end of Pakistan's innings, and the batter he dropped then smoked two 6s shortly after.
And Marsh of course scored 77* (50) from number 3 in the final...