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Steve Smith. (AP image)
“It has been a pretty busy year in every sense of the word. I am pleased that I can be sitting here today, to be recognised for what I have done over the year. I don’t play for these kind of awards. I play to try and help the team win and stand up as the leader of the side. It has been challenging and I am proud of the way I have accomplished a few things.
“Scoring a second innings hundred in India against some quality spinners gave me incredible confidence. Also the determination of a few innings in the Ashes – Brisbane and in Melbourne. Whenever I feel like my mind is going off the job, I recognize it and quickly get it back to where it needs to be,” Smith said after the Allan Border Annual Awards night.
While the world has been debating on who between Smith and Virat Kohli is currently the best batsman in world cricket, former South Africa skipper Kepler Wessels recently spoke to CricketNext on the most debated topic on the cricket field at present.
Wessels said that while Kohli is definitely a showman, Smith is a work of art in the way he scores run. He feels that Root and Williamson are both technically very sound.
“I think Kohli is terrific and I like the aggressive brand of cricket he plays. I like the way he can turn a match and the impact he has across all three formats. He is definitely one of the best batsmen at the moment. I like his personality and his aggression and the way he takes the game to the opposition. I think his leadership skills have been pretty good so far and it runs on the rest of the players.
“Look it’s always difficult to compare players because they play under different conditions, in different circumstances and also for different teams. They all have been superb in modern day cricket. But Kohli is more adventurous probably than the other three. Smith is just phenomenal in the way he puts runs together at the crease, Root is very correct (in his approach) as is Williamson,” he said.
First Published: February 15, 2018, 12:53 PM IST