Of superstitions and Smith’s heavy scoring

MUMBAI : Superstition is fairly common in sport and cricket is no exception.

Sachin Tendulkar used to famously wear his left pad first when preparing to bat while former Australia captain Steve Waugh was always seen carrying a red handkerchief.

But an unusual demand by Australia’s Steve Smith before going out to bat has probably gone unnoticed by most cricket fans till date.

In a video posted by Cricket Australia on its website (cricket.com.au), the Aussie skipper revealed that he asks the team physio to tape his shoe laces to his shin every time he prepares to bat so he doesn’t have to see his laces when at the crease. The preparation method, Smith reveals, began during the 2016 season of the Indian Premier League when he found the pants of his Rising Pune Supergiant kit too tight to contain his laces.

Smith scored a century the first time he did it, prompting him to continue with the practice. “Well it started during the last season of the IPL due to the kind of pants we were given to wear. I have always had issues with looking at my shoe laces when I am batting. And it wasn’t working because the pant wasn’t long enough and the shoe laces would pop out and that was getting to my head. So I got the physio to tape my shoe laces to my socks. I wear footie socks when I bat. And I got a hundred the first time I got it and I have done it since,” Smith reveals.

Having scored three tons in the ongoing Test series against India — including one on the first day of the third Test in Dharamsala — it is possible that the weird habit is bearing fruit. Smith is the highest run-getter of the series with 482 runs from seven innings. He has batted at an average of 80.33.