Cricket Australia’s push to get Steve Smith back playing domestic T20 cricket didn’t come cheap, but it was worth every cent.
During Saturday’s Big Bash match between Sydney rivals the Sixers and Thunder, Smith was in a league of his own.
Four days earlier in Coffs Harbour, he plundered 101 from 56 balls as an opener against the Strikers to become the first Sixers player in history to reach triple figures.
Then at the SCG, in the Sydney Smash, Smith showed it was no fluke by bludgeoning an unbeaten 125 from 66 balls, which included five fours and nine sixes.
While many of Smith’s shots were highlights, one in particular typified just how well the 33-year-old was batting.
In the 15th over, Thunder quick Gurinder Sandhu had the ball in his hand with Smith on 78.
Steve Smith’s six against crosstown Big Bash rivals Sydney Thunder.Credit:Fairfax Media
Sandhu thought he had perfectly executed the exact delivery he wanted to bowl; a slower ball, short of a length, well outside the off stump. He thought there was very little chance that Smith could manufacture another boundary.
Think again.
“He literally got down on one knee and swept it,” Sandhu said. “It was pretty special.”
Somehow, Smith flat-batted Sandhu for six over mid-wicket towards the SCG Members Stand.
Steve Smith launches at the SCG.Credit:Getty
With his body height lowering and right elbow locked in at the back, Smith stayed side-on before dropping to knee, snapping his hips and exploding through the ball with a brutal follow-through.
Fans couldn’t believe he had hit the ball where he did.
Fox Cricket commentator Mark Waugh labelled the shot “crazy”. Sandhu had the same adjective on his lips.
“It’s pretty crazy when a player of that level and class can be in that kind of form,” Sandhu said.
“I wasn’t too unhappy with that ball. It was almost off the pitch on the off-side. I was trying to go for a wide slower ball. Maybe I could have bowled it a couple of centimetres wider?
“It was a pretty special innings. Imagine a Sydney Smash for a grand final. That’d be pretty cool.”
Smith, who backed up his twin tons with another swashbuckling innings of 66 from 33 balls against the Hurricanes, is back in action on Saturday evening against the Perth Scorchers, playing for a place in the BBL final on February 4.
The former national captain is the most captivating player in the competition after amassing 328 runs at 109.33 from four innings.
More impressive is his strike rate of 180.21, by far the highest of any player. Tim David is next best with a strike rate of 160.9.
Steve Smith made a sparkling century at Coffs Harbour.Credit:Getty
One coach who understands Smith’s technique better than most is batting guru Trent Woodhill, who has worked with him since he was 15.
The pair collaborated as recently as Australia’s ODI series against England in November, where Smith made 195 runs from three innings at 97.5.
While Woodhill isn’t taking the credit for Smith’s recent purple patch, he is well placed to shed light on his brilliant run of form.
Woodhill says Smith has made slight technical tweaks, which have enabled him to generate greater power into his leg-side shots.
‘He’s got access all around the ground without giving up power.’
Trent Woodhill
While it is easy to get bogged down in the complex language of batting, in simple terms, Smith can find the rope easier from square leg to mid-on in the shortest format.
“That power against the Thunder the other night, that’s as heavy a cricket ball as we’ve seen hit for a long time in short-form cricket, probably since Shane Watson,” Woodhill said.
“He’s got access all around the ground without giving up power. It’s not going to affect his red ball game. I think sometimes Steve can overcomplicate it by thinking there’s more going on than what there is.
“The hundred against the Thunder, being at the ground and seeing how far those balls were going back, he’s not done that since perhaps 10 years ago. He’s never done it on a stage like that. It’ll go down as one of his greatest white ball innings ever.
“Steve has always been really good at figuring things out himself. He’s his own best coach. He also has this Bradman-like ability to figure things out. It’s pretty amazing. With me and him, it’s a collaborative thing.”
Woodhill believes Smith has the technical and tactical nous to open the batting for Australia in either T20s or one-dayers.
“Opening the batting is a no-brainer,” Woodhill said. “He could go on a real tear here if he wanted to with other franchises or with the Australian team.
“We probably underestimate how good he is at figuring a game out in the middle.”
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
