“I May Not Be As Strong As Some Of The Other Guys But I Use Placement And Timing,” Says Steven Smith

Mumbai: After a heroic inning from Steve Smith which helped Australia to win the last game quite easily against Pakistan, well Smith thinks he is not strong as other boys in the team but he uses placement and timing.

Australia batsman Steve Smith wants to improve his batting record in the T20I as he feels it is not ‘crash hot.’ “If you look at my batting record in T20 internationals, it’s not crash hot,” International Cricket Council (ICC) quoted Smith as saying.

He added, “I may not be as strong as some of the other guys but I use placement and timing. The white ball usually flies off the bat particularly when it’s brand new. If you’re timing the ball well you get value for your shots most places.”

Australia has gained 1-0 lead in the three-match series as the first game was washed out.

Steven Smith holds the number one spot in the ICC Test batting ranking but in the shortest format of the game, he is yet to make his mark as he averages just 27.48 in 35 matches. However, these numbers do not show the real picture of Smith’s calibre as he was a leg-spinner before and batted lower down the order.

“I guess you have to bear in mind … [early in my career] I was batting No.8 or 9, coming in and slogging, facing half a dozen balls tops. It’s never easy, so it’s going to affect your record at some point,” Smith said.

“I don’t doubt my ability. I know the tempos of the game. I’ve played a lot of [T20] cricket now. I may not be as strong as some of the other guys, but I use placement and timing,” he added.

“If you’re chasing you weigh up the situation and what you need and what you need to go at, which bowlers you want to target and just work out the maths in your head and that’s chasing,” he explained.

“Batting first you have to sum up conditions and how the wicket is playing, what you think a good score is and who is in the opposition, all those sorts of things. I’ve played a lot of cricket now, I’m pretty experienced and my role in this team is to fix it if the top doesn’t come off. They (the top order) have been exceptional in these games that we’ve played, Sri Lanka and the first one against Pakistan before we got washed out. They’re pretty consistent up top so if they don’t come off then it’s up to me to fix it.”

Australia will compete against Pakistan in the third T20I on November 8.

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