Steve Smith was in good batting form on Day 2 of the ongoing fifth Ashes Test match, at The Oval in London. Australia left England's bowling department frustrated, posting 295 in their first innings, in response to England's 283, which also saw them take a lead of 12 runs going into the second innings.
Smith played a gritty knock of 71 runs off 123 balls, including six fours, and played a huge role in his side's batting performance. Meanwhile, Usman Khawaja narrowly missed out on a half-century but his knock of 47 proved to be crucial for the visitors. On the other hand, tailenders Pat Cummins (36) and Todd Murphy (34) annoyed the English bowlers. For England's bowling department, Chris Woakes bagged three wickets, Mark Wood, Joe Root and Stuart Broad scalped two dismissals each.
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Smith received plenty of praise on Twitter, for his batting performance. Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar joined the bandwagon to call Smith 'a modern great' and also revealed the Aussie batter's 'unique strength'.
{{/usCountry}}Smith received plenty of praise on Twitter, for his batting performance. Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar joined the bandwagon to call Smith 'a modern great' and also revealed the Aussie batter's 'unique strength'.
{{/usCountry}}"Realised again, watching him bat yesterday. Steve Smith has just one overwhelming & unique strength that makes him a modern great. Sensational ‘ball sense’. The bat finds its way down at the right time & place to make a glorious connection no matter where his feet are. #Ashes", wrote Manjrekar.
On Day 2, Smith was also involved in a controversial run-out call, when he was on 44. As he attempted a risky double, he had to dive to reach the crease as Jonny Bairstow dislodged the bails. The third umpire was referred for this decision and Smith began to depart for the pavilion after seeing the replays on the big screen.
But third umpire Nitin Menon judged that the bails did not come off totally and it looked like Bairstow had disturbed the bails before collecting them. As a result, Smith returned to bat and added 27 more runs, before losing his wicket to Chris Woakes.