Smith's constant fidgeting (others, too - Chappelli, Chanderpaul etc.) is simply his focussing 'method'.
Same for Warner's releasing and re-securing his batting gloves velcro, after EVERY ball.
Steve Smith.
"... the ODI team has lost seven of their last eight ODIs dating back to the 2019 50-over World Cup where they lost the semi-final to England. Coach Justin Langer has conceded T20 has been the priority but there are some broader questions to answer for both white-ball squads moving forward."
(cricinfo)
It's sustained incompetence. Pretending FTB Smith is a good ODI player (he's mediocre at best) is a symptom of the incompetence.
(cricinfo)
It's sustained incompetence. Pretending FTB Smith is a good ODI player (he's mediocre at best) is a symptom of the incompetence.
They cannot be compared because they are from different eras.
This is the FTB era. Not only are the pitches flatter, the boundary ropes brought in, the bats much, much, much more powerful, but there have been very obvious rule changes that you must surely not have forgotten.
We all know that in the 80s, for example, 220 used to be a very competitive ODI total.
Now often when they score 320 in the first innings, you just know it's going to get mown down with ease.
Compare FTB Smith to someone in the same era and position...
...........................................
Joseph Edward Root
137 ODI inns, 5933 runs, ave. 51.05, SR 87.40, 16 100s.
Steven Peter Devereux Smith
109 ODI inns, 4148 runs, ave. 42.76, SR 86.68, 9 100s.
Joe Root is clearly far, far, far superior to FTB Smith in the number 3 ODI spot. Yet, there are constant headlines and opinions questioning his short-form value, so it's delusional to believe that FTB Smith is any more than passable.
e.g.
Joe Root hungry to prove his worth to one-day plans after being dropped from final T20
(Independent, 11 July 2018)
Joe Root Should Bat Lower On England’s Cricket World Cup Team
(Forbes, July 2 2019)
"Root is England’s best batsman in test cricket. But is he in the one-day format? 50 overs cricket is a different animal, even if it is not as different as the slogfest that is T20.
...
It seems churlish to question the Yorkshireman’s role, given that he is a top quality player who has scored 476 runs, including two centuries, at an average of 68 in this World Cup.
But. But. ..."
This is the FTB era. Not only are the pitches flatter, the boundary ropes brought in, the bats much, much, much more powerful, but there have been very obvious rule changes that you must surely not have forgotten.
We all know that in the 80s, for example, 220 used to be a very competitive ODI total.
Now often when they score 320 in the first innings, you just know it's going to get mown down with ease.
Compare FTB Smith to someone in the same era and position...
...........................................
Joseph Edward Root
137 ODI inns, 5933 runs, ave. 51.05, SR 87.40, 16 100s.
Steven Peter Devereux Smith
109 ODI inns, 4148 runs, ave. 42.76, SR 86.68, 9 100s.
Joe Root is clearly far, far, far superior to FTB Smith in the number 3 ODI spot. Yet, there are constant headlines and opinions questioning his short-form value, so it's delusional to believe that FTB Smith is any more than passable.
e.g.
Joe Root hungry to prove his worth to one-day plans after being dropped from final T20
(Independent, 11 July 2018)
Joe Root Should Bat Lower On England’s Cricket World Cup Team
(Forbes, July 2 2019)
"Root is England’s best batsman in test cricket. But is he in the one-day format? 50 overs cricket is a different animal, even if it is not as different as the slogfest that is T20.
...
It seems churlish to question the Yorkshireman’s role, given that he is a top quality player who has scored 476 runs, including two centuries, at an average of 68 in this World Cup.
But. But. ..."
There is no merit at all in comparing players from different countries, where matches are played predominantly in different home conditions and against particular opposition, by reference to their averages. If you look at Smith in the context of Australia’s overall record, you will find that, Bevan (whose average was inflated because he batted relatively low in the order and had many not outs) aside, no-one has a record much better than Smith’s. Amongst the current players, Warner and Finch - both of whom would be thought around the World to be “match-winners” - have a slightly higher and a slightly lower average, respectively. Warner’s strike rate is much better than Smith’s but Finch’s is about the same.
Really, almost everyone except you (and Kane Williamson’s other relatives) accepts - without reservation - that Smith is the best player in the World. He is not a “flat track bully”. He is quite simply one of the best batsmen ever to play the game.
Really, almost everyone except you (and Kane Williamson’s other relatives) accepts - without reservation - that Smith is the best player in the World. He is not a “flat track bully”. He is quite simply one of the best batsmen ever to play the game.
The claim in your last paragraph is utterly false. Outside of Oz and perhaps UK, it is not at all accepted. Nor should it be, since there is overwhelming evidence Smith is an FTB.
Your blindness to the change in the ODI conditions over time scares me. It shows how desperate your psyche is to maintain the Myth of Smith.
220 was a winning ODI score in the 80s. Oz in recent years has struggled to defend 350 or even 400.
Instead you speculate about the region. Nowadays there are frequent ODI tours of all cricketing countries to every other one, sadly to the detriment of Test cricket. They played a WC in England last year, and FTB Smith and Khawaja just got in each other's way, because they are so limited they can only play one way. Smith's WC was an utter failure, filled with unusual LBWs and bowled dismissals.
Your blindness to the change in the ODI conditions over time scares me. It shows how desperate your psyche is to maintain the Myth of Smith.
220 was a winning ODI score in the 80s. Oz in recent years has struggled to defend 350 or even 400.
Instead you speculate about the region. Nowadays there are frequent ODI tours of all cricketing countries to every other one, sadly to the detriment of Test cricket. They played a WC in England last year, and FTB Smith and Khawaja just got in each other's way, because they are so limited they can only play one way. Smith's WC was an utter failure, filled with unusual LBWs and bowled dismissals.
-
23 YIPPEE!!!
Aussies men have struggled with the ODI format since the t20 came into vouge. Its been sort of pushed aside the 50 over game since then.
There will always be test but the 50 over game is deteriorating and may end up as an extinct format of the game. Not sure in the womens though that has a much more brighter future.
There will always be test but the 50 over game is deteriorating and may end up as an extinct format of the game. Not sure in the womens though that has a much more brighter future.
Pies4shaw wrote:There is no merit at all in comparing players from different countries, where matches are played predominantly in different home conditions and against particular opposition, by reference to their averages. ...
The imputation that Oz ODI batting conditions are so much harder than elsewhere, and that explains Smith's mediocrity (including why the much maligned Joe Root has a far, far superior ODI record), is totally false. (Root's record against Oz is poor. Those, of course, are the bowlers Smith never has to face.)K wrote:...
Your blindness to the change in the ODI conditions over time scares me. It shows how desperate your psyche is to maintain the Myth of Smith.
...
Instead you speculate about the region. Nowadays there are frequent ODI tours of all cricketing countries to every other one, sadly to the detriment of Test cricket. They played a WC in England last year... Smith's WC was an utter failure...
Smith's mediocrity is even more obvious in overseas ODIs.
Steven Smith ODIs
Outside Oz: Ave. 36.44, SR 81.75.
Away: Ave. 34.04, SR 79.59.
In England: Ave. 35.42, SR 83.50.
In England v. England: Ave. 35.23, SR 80.06.
.........................................................................
Returning to your convenient blindness to the out-of-control inflation of ODI scores over the years, I could say the red line above speaks for itself, which it does, but the same source gives more.
e.g. for eras of roughly equal numbers of matches:
Era Mean score batting first
1974-94 229
1995-9 247
2000-3 257
2004-7 267
2008-12 272
2013-17 288
Or this: "... these days a team is more likely to score over 400 than below 200 if using the full quota of 50 overs!"
Or this:
Oz mean first innings scores (2013-17)
lost 295
n/r 253
won 310.
Yup, in matches Oz lost batting first, they averaged 295!!!
.........................................................................
Smith is an FTB. Of course, ODI pitches are very flat. The problem for Smith is that, while there is no pressure from pitch or ball (as in Tests), there is the pressure from having to outslog the opposition. To "succeed", Smith needs not only the pitch, weather and ball conditions in his favour but also the game situation.