One of the batting greats showed his class again for Australia at the home of cricket with a hundred full of balance and defiance
It seemed fitting that even Steve Smith’s celebration of another brilliant, gripping sui generis hundred should become a little bit clipped and fraught and fussicky. The hundred had arrived in the right way too, with one of the thrillingly unbound, but still perfectly balanced cover drives that had decorated his innings.
Smith’s cover drive is a remarkable thing. It shouldn’t really be possible. He is already opening his body up the other way as the ball is delivered, closing his left shoulder, gripping the bat hard with his bottom hand, shaping for the default leg-side nurdle.
Written by Barney Ronay at Lord’s
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2023/jun/29/lords-may-never-see-another-steve-smith-solving-the-giant-sudoku-of-test-cricket-england-australia-ashes under the title “Lord’s may never see another Steve Smith, solving the giant sudoku of Test cricket | Barney Ronay”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.