When Steve Smith replied that he felt “amazing” to a text message from Moises Henriques about a technique change he noticed in the first Test against the West Indies he didn’t know it would lead to “unprecedented” Big Bash dominance.
But that’s how Henriques rated Smith’s BBL exploits since linking up with the Sydney Sixers, declaring it the best batting the competition has ever seen.
Henriques has been involved in the Big Bash since its inception, and seen “Lynnsanity” at its peak when the competitions’ best ever six-hitter, Chris Lynn, made every ground look too small.
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But in Smith’s stunning four-match haul of 328 runs, including two hundreds and a competition-high 24 sixes, Henriques has seen something almost unbelievable.
It’s enough for the Sixers captain to declare the Perth Scorchers’ bowlers will be “a little bit worried” ahead of Saturday’s qualifying final in Perth, where the boundaries may not be big enough to keep Smith quiet.
“I’ve never seen him bat like this in any white ball cricket, just so consistently,” Henriques told NCA NewsWire on Friday.
“I mean, the amount of times he’s clearing the boundary, having probably known as a bit more of a gap hitter rather than an actual six hitter, it’s unprecedented, this sort of batting.
“It’s probably the best T20 batting we’ve ever witnessed in the Big Bash to be honest.
“The last couple of wickets that everyone else has really struggled to bat on he seemed to find a way to make it look like an absolute road.
“So I guess I’m assuming there’d be a lot of bowlers in their camp a little bit worried about that.”
Smith has spoken about the technical changes to his grip and stance which have allowed him more freedom with his batting this summer, which included a double-hundred against the West Indies and a century against South Africa.
But the success of that technical change has flowed into such a confident mental state that no bowling attack, or any conditions, seem to be able to curtail the 33-year-old batting genius.
“The first ball I saw him face in the Test series, it looked like he’d opened the face of his bat up a little bit,” Henriques said.
“I remember shooting him a text and he was like “Yeah, I feel amazing. I feel like I’m getting the power again and hitting to through the off side”.
“He’s come back and probably open it up a little bit more and I think like just when you make a little subtle change like that and then you can feel you can feel the difference in the nets every time you hit the ball, even if you don’t get the results out on out in the middle straightaway.
“But if you sort of just find a little cue that works or that you think works, it can actually take like, I guess in the context of a Test summer, it can really relax you and clam you and he seems to be very relaxed and calm around the group here.
“He was definitely batting that way during the test summer, it looked like he was calm and relaxed, playing what was in front of him. And he’s doing something very similar here.
“I don’t know whether it was the chicken or the egg, whether it was the mental that followed the technical … but definitely a couple of little subtle changes that he made and I’m sure that’s added to his T20 success here with us.”
The winner of Saturda poor record in Perth, where they have only won once in four visitors, to advance.
“We know our record. The laay’s clash with go straight through to the BBL final and the Sixers will need to turn around st few times we’ve played there hasn’t gone to plan,” Henriques said.
“But we also know very clearly they if we win their record in Sydney is also pretty poor as well.
“So it works both ways.”
