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Cricket Players‘Go for it’: Steve Smith dares Bangladesh over DRS again, umpires step in after latest heated exchange
Steve Smith urged Bangladesh to review an LBW appeal against him before the umpires stepped in, continuing his DRS mind games from the Darwin Test.
Steve Smith’s running battle with Bangladesh over the Decision Review System spilled into the second Test on Saturday, with the Australian batter appearing to encourage the visitors to challenge an unsuccessful lbw appeal before the umpires stepped in and warned him.
The incident occurred in the ninth over of Australia’s first innings in Mackay. Taskin Ahmed struck Smith on the pad and immediately went up for lbw, only for umpire Nitin Menon to turn down the appeal. Taskin was convinced enough to urge captain Najmul Hossain Shanto to send the decision upstairs.
Smith, however, decided to join the conversation. As Bangladesh gathered to consider whether to use a review, Smith could be heard telling the fielders that he was well down the pitch and suggesting the delivery was comfortably missing the stumps.
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“I’m halfway down the wicket to him, it’s going miles over,” Smith said during the exchange before adding, “Go for it,” as Shanto continued discussing the review with Taskin, according to Fox Cricket. The television pictures also appeared to show Smith repeatedly gesturing towards the Bangladesh players as if encouraging them to take the decision upstairs.
Shanto eventually decided against the review, but Smith’s intervention did not escape the attention of the officials. Both umpires walked towards the batter and spoke to him, apparently making it clear that Bangladesh’s decision over whether to review was for the fielding side to make.
Smith nodded during the conversation and appeared puzzled by the warning. Fox Cricket commentator Brendon Julian backed the intervention, arguing that a batter should not be attempting to influence the opposition’s review discussion.
Smith-Bangladesh DRS battle continues from Darwin
The exchange was particularly notable because Smith had been involved in remarkably similar incidents during Australia’s shock defeat to Bangladesh in the first Test in Darwin. In Australia’s first innings, Ebadot Hossain had an lbw appeal against Smith turned down and Bangladesh began considering whether to use their final review. Smith immediately became involved.
“Knee roll you reckon? It was up here you peanut!” Smith was picked up saying on the stump microphone while gesturing towards his hip. “What game are you watching?”
Bangladesh eventually decided against reviewing the decision. Replays showed the appeal was indeed too high, while ABC described Smith as having effectively talked Bangladesh out of taking the review. He went on to score 71.
The verbal exchanges did not end there. During Australia’s second innings in Darwin, Bangladesh appealed when they believed Smith had edged Taijul Islam down the leg side. After the on-field decision went in his favour, Smith openly challenged the visitors to review it.
“Use it. Go on. Do it. Go on, use it... Waste another one,” Smith was heard saying, leading to an exchange with wicketkeeper Litton Das, who repeatedly told the Australian to concentrate on batting. That history made Saturday’s scene in Mackay feel less like an isolated piece of chatter and more like the latest episode in Smith’s increasingly visible DRS mind games with Bangladesh. This time, however, the umpires decided he had become involved enough to warrant an intervention.
