Smith stands among greats
CRICKET loves an acronym like DRS and lbw but I want to talk about BSB, which may be the game’s hottest topic right now.
BSB? That’s Best Since Bradman.
The Don stands indisputably as the measure by which all batsmen are judged. He is so far ahead of the pack that we have to put him to one side when we run a rule over those who have excelled with blade in hand.
No disrespect to players from times before the 1970s but I wasn’t born then so it’s hard to judge fairly what you haven’t witnessed.
So, for this debate, I’m including players that I’ve seen and played with or against.
There are two current batsmen who stack up on the alltime greatest list and one will have another chance to move up the rankings at the MCG on Boxing Day. That’s Steve Smith.
Smith and his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli are duelling for a spot in my top 10 of the past 40 years.
The best batsmen since the mid-70s in my opinion is Viv Richards — the Master Blaster is my No. 1 followed by fellow West Indian superstar Brian Lara, then the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar along with the elegant Greg Chappell.
These guys form the rung under Bradman.
Beneath this quartet is a group of more great modernday players in Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Graham Gooch, Allan Border and AB de Villiers.
I don’t assess greatness by stats but rather by the way someone played the game, the way they influenced results and the impact they had on all of us.
A great batsman has to have made a hundred in three key countries: in England, against the Duke ball on seaming and swinging pitches; in Australia, on our fast-paced, bouncy tracks; and of course, in the dust bowls of India.
Steve Smith has made 200 in England, he’s now got a double ton at the WACA and he’s made big hundreds in India.
Smith is not as destructive as a Vivvy Richards. He is more of a quiet assassin. He’s not as aggressive as Ponting, he’s more Gooch and Kallis. He likes to wear the bowlers down. Patience is his key. The thing that puts the Australian skipper up with the very best is a trait shared by them all — just how quickly he picks up the ball out of the bowler’s hand and judges length.
S o meone with his batting technique — which is unusual — is going to be vulnerable if not for an unerring ability to pick up the length and get into position.
Steve Smith is the best Test batsman in the world. Kohli is the best across all three formats of the game but across five days, Smith is the man. He’ll make you bowl to him. Joe Root has come up with some good plans for Smith, but he hasn’t had the bowlers to execute them.
Whatever England throws up at the MCG next week, you’d back Smith to handle it.
He’ll continue to lead from the front by way of his batting.
He eats, sleeps and breathes cricket and it shows. His Test average as Australian captain is 73. Extraordinary.
From 59 Tests in total he has scored 5796 runs at 62.32.
Look at him on pure numbers and he’s the best since Bradman. If Smith keeps this form up over 100 Test matches, he will leave the game as an absolute legend.
Whatever England throws up at the MCG next week, you’d back Smith to handle it.