Coach defends ‘Mr Bean’
Australian coach Justin Langer has launched a passionate defence of under-fire batsman Steve Smith after cameras captured him scuffing the crease as Indian chased victory in the SCG test.
The former captain’s actions were slammed by retired international stars Michael Vaughan and Virenda Sehwag, who assumed his scratching was an effort to remove the guard of an on-song Rishabh Pant.
Langer is having none of it though, yesterday delivering an unprompted defence of the 31-year-old, whose many eccentricities at the batting crease has led to at least one critic labelling him a poor man’s Mr Bean, the comic persona created by entertainment genius Rowan Atkinson.
‘‘I literally cannot believe some of the rubbish I read about Steve Smith,’’ he said.
‘‘Absolute load of rubbish; if anyone knows Steve Smith, he’s a bit quirky and he does some weird things andwe’ve all laughed about it for the last couple of years.
‘‘Anyone who suggests for one millisecond he was trying to do something untoward, they’re way out of line, absolutely out of line.
‘‘That wicket was that flat and it was like concrete; you need 15-inch spikes to make an indent on the crease . . . seriously.
‘‘That was absolutely ludicrous, and in the last couple of years since he’s been back, he’s been exemplary on and off the field.
‘‘He’s let his bat do the talking, he was abused like I’ve never seen anything through England and he just kept smiling and letting his bat do the talking ... give me a break.’’
Describing the scuffing as a subconscious routine, Langer admitted Smith would probably be more aware of his actions now.
Langer also said that captain Tim Paine deserved to be cut some slack.
Paine and his side’s behaviour was questioned following a dramatic final day in the drawn Sydney test against India.
The wicketkeeper dropped three catches on day five, while he was fined 15 per cent of his match fee for dissent toward the umpire and also caught on the stump microphone mocking veteran Ravichandran Ashwin during India’s incredible stonewall to secure a draw.
Thrust into the captaincy, Paine has helped turn around the
Australian test team’s image after the 2018 Cape Town cheating scandal and, after a night of reflection, apologised for his conduct ahead of the fourth test starting at the Gabba in Brisbane tomorrow.
That didn’t stop Indian great Sunil Gavaskar, whose name adorns the trophy on the line, from declaring his lack of tactical nous meant his days as test captain were numbered.
Langer agreed Paine hadn’t met his own high standards but that his track record and
Tuesday’s apology spoke volumes, while he also backed him as ‘‘one of the great wicketkeepers we’ve ever had in Australia’’.
‘‘He didn’t have his best day, no doubt about that, but after three years he has hardly put a hair out of place, he’s been outstanding as the Australian captain in everything he does, and he had a frustrating day. We’ve got to cut him some slack surely.’’
Meanwhile, the BCCI has stepped in to resolve issues around India’s current accommo
‘‘He does some weird things and we’ve all laughed about it for the last couple of years.’’
Justin Langer
Australian coach speaking about Steve Smith
dation in Brisbane which was described as a ‘‘prison for all practical purposes’’ by an unnamed teammember.
Team officials weren’t happy about not having room service or house keeping with an unnamed member of the tourists’ travelling party labelling the hotel as a ‘‘prison for all practical purposes’’ in an interview with The Times of India.
The hotel swimming pool, gym and cafes were all off-limits to the players when they arrived, according to the source.
But after the BCCI took up the issue with Cricket Australia, conditions have changed.
‘‘The board has been told that the team has been given access to all the lifts in the hotel. They can use a gym too. It has been assured that there will be room service and house keeping. The team has also been given a team room where they can assemble and have meetings. Only the swimming pool is not open for use,’’ a senior BCCI official told The Times of India.
India only need to draw the fourth test to retain the BorderGavaskar Trophy but the task has been made harder by a mounting injury list.
Ravi Jadeja and Hanuma Vihari have been officially ruled out after copping injuries in Sydney while fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the series decider at the Gabba is in doubt after an apparent tear to an abdominal muscle.