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Cricket Players'If I want to smack someone for first-ball six, I can do that': Australia's Steve Smith ready to shed 'Mr. fix-it' tag
Steve Smith feels he can now play his natural game in the shortest format without any hesitation and if he is capable of hitting the first ball of his innings for a six, if he wants that.
Despite being a world beater in Test cricket and being among the modern-day greats, Australia's Steve Smith is rarely seen as a match-winner in T20Is. This is not to suggest that Smith has a poor record - he averages 27 and has a strike rate of 125.74 in the shortest format of the game - but the sight of Smith walking out to bat in a T20I will never instil the same reaction in the opposition compared to when the right-hander makes his way into the centre in red-ball cricket. Smith says this has a lot to do with the kind of role he has had in the Australian T20I XI but the experienced right-hander is now ready to shed the 'Mr fix-it' tag and be more expressive as Australia aims to defend their title in T20 World Cup at home later this year.
"I feel like when I'm playing good T20 cricket, I'm in that team (T20 World Cup) for sure," Smith was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au on Tuesday.
"The role that I've been given the last couple of years is the 'Mr. fix-it' role and that tag's been taken away from me now."
The right-hander feels he can now play his natural game in the shortest format without any hesitation and if he is capable of hitting the first ball of his innings for a six, if he wants that.
"For the Sri Lanka tour, and I felt like I could go out and just play with a lot more freedom and naturally and not have any kind of hesitation in the back of my mind. I can just take the game on and if I want to smack someone for six first ball, then I'm able to do that freely," Smith added.
With the emergence of the likes of Mitchell Marsh (who now occupies the No.3 spot that once belonged to Smith), Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, Smith's position had been rendered doubtful in T20s.In the series against Sri Lanka, Smith batted twice in the three T20s, scoring five off four in the second match before playing an unbeaten 37 off 27 balls in the third game.
His strike rate from four innings this year has improved from 91.89 (in three innings during last year's World Cup) to 120.37. The T20 World Cup will be held in Australia from October 16 to November 13.
(With agency inputs)
