Smith pulls other one

Cricket: Pinocchio or a paragon of batting virtue? Australian batsman Steve “Scuffer” Smith has doubled down on accusations he resorted to a dubious form of gamesmanship during the drawn third cricket test against India in Sydney. Stump cam revealed the eventualman-of-the-match scratching around the Indian batting guards with his boot in a lull after a drinks break. One theory is he was trying to remove the opposition’s batting compass to the location of their stumps. Smith claims it’s something he does in games to visualise where Australia are bowling, how batsmen are playing them, and then he marks centre out of habit.