Adelaide: Australian batter Steve Smith, who starred with an unbeaten 80 in the first ODI against England at the Adelaide Oval, said that it is the best he had batted for in a long time.
Smith’s knock, along with half-centuries from David Warner and Travis Head helped Australia chase down a competitive score and register a six-wicket victory against England on Thursday.
Speaking to the reporters after the game, Smith said: “It was probably the best I’ve felt in about six years. I was just in really nice positions and I felt really good, I honestly haven’t felt that way in six years or so.”It’s been nice to score some runs in that time and we’re always looking for perfection, and for me was close to perfection as I will get.”
Smith has been struggling for form in recent times and featured in only one of Australia’s matches at the T20 World Cup at home. This has raised some questions about his future in white-ball cricket, but the stunning knock against England again showcased what a brilliant performer Smith continues to be.
Smith also revealed that he had been working on making minor tweaks to his technique, in order to rediscover his best stance. The process has been ongoing for a year and has finally started to pay rewards.
“I’ve been working on a few things, it’s almost been a six-month or 12-month process. The start of last summer, I tried to get my hands back to where they were in 2015. I feel like I’m staying a bit more side-on now and I’ve got my feet and hands in sync together,” Smith explained.
Hoping that his knock at Adelaide was the start of a big summer, a hopeful Smith said: “(Thursday) was probably the first time I’ve actually had extended time in the middle with that change.
It’s hard to base something on one innings but it felt as though things clicked for me like they did at the WACA (in a Test against England) in 2013. Hopefully, it’s the start of a big summer.”
Australia will face England in two more ODIs in Sydney and Melbourne before gearing up for red-ball cricket.
