Australia are scheduled to play three T20Is, five ODIs, and two Test matches against Sri Lanka. Steve Smith is also included in the squad as this series will be crucial for the current World Champions ahead of the mega event later this year.
Batting at the middle order, Smith generally plays the anchor role as he plays both pace and spins beautifully. It helps him to rotate the strike continuously during the middle overs. Till now, he played 54 T20I matches by scoring 886 runs at an average of 26.05. However, in recent times, due to the arrival of Mitchell Marsh at no.3, Smith’s batting position had been shaken. However, in a recent interview with cricket.com.au, Smith opened up about his new role in T20Is.
“Go for it if you want to hit your first or second ball for six.” – Michael di Venuto
Smith said that the stand-in coach Michael di Venuto (Diva) backed him to go out and play freely. He said: To be honest, I’m rather pleased that the tag has been removed. The other day, Diva (stand-in coach Michael di Venuto) told me. ‘We’re going to get rid of that tag,’ he explained. Simply go outside and have fun. Go for it if you want to hit your first or second ball for six.”
🗣️Steve Smith on his new role in T20Is. pic.twitter.com/aHVHGNE9Hr
— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) June 7, 2022
He also added: “Today it’s just a matter of wanting to play openly and believing my skills, which I believe I’ve accomplished well in any format for a long time, rather than being a little more restrained and attempting not to go out, which I don’t believe is the proper approach to play T20 cricket”
Steve Smith also admitted that instant acceleration of innings is not natural to him. “You’re not quite as aggressive or free-flowing as you might be like when I’m performing the part that I was chosen to play previously. Then you notice individuals like ‘Maxi’ and ‘Stoin’ following you around, and you feel compelled to turn on the light right away. That’s not how I’d approach the game in general.” he concluded.
Ahead of this Sri Lanka series, Smith’s performance will be under scrutiny as his form will be crucial for Australia while trying to defend the 20-20 World Cup title later this year.
