New Delhi: Steve Smith was as much relieved as happy after ending his prolonged century drought in Test cricket, scoring his 33rd ton on the second day of the third Test against India in Brisbane in Sunday.
To end his lean patch the No.4 batter had also tried as an opener but not with much success. He returned to his usual batting position for the Border-Gavaskar series and found his rhythm at the Gabba, striking a patient 101-run knock.
Australia raced to 405/7 at stumps on the second day and Smith explained why he had struggled to score freely in the last few years.
“Since 2021 when they changed the Kookaburra ball, batting has definitely got more difficult, particularly at the same time wickets got greener as well. So it’s kind of like a perfect storm coming together,” Smith said after the end of Sunday’s action.
“I think particularly the first 35 overs, I’d say, of an innings is very challenging at the moment with the significant seam movement. But then kind of, as I said before, I think the ball stays hard.
“So if you get through that period and, you know, you’ve got some guys like Travis and Marshy and Alex coming in, the ball still bounces off the bat a lot harder than it used to.
“So, the last three years have probably been the hardest that I’ve experienced in my career. Batting-wise, in terms of the amount of movement that’s been generated.
Balls harder, more movement
Cricket Australia uses balls made by Kookaburra company that has started adding an extra lacquer, which hardens up the ball and a reinforced seam that makes it firmer leading to more movement.
“You can see that in the way the scores have come down as well. And, you know, bowling averages come down, batting averages come down,” Smith said.
“And usually in the first innings of a game, if you’re putting, you think back probably five years ago, you’re seeing consistent 400, 500s being scored in the first innings. If you put a three in front of it these days, you’re usually in a pretty strong position.”
Smith survived anxious moments in the initial phase of his innings and acknowledged he was lucky but was glad that luck smiled on him at last.
“If you get a big score, you’re going to need some luck to do it. And you’re going to have to play really well. Test by Test. I’ve been doing it for so long. So if I want to change a few different things, it really doesn’t take me long to do it,” the right hander said.
“Sometimes I do it in the middle of an innings. That’s a part about adapting to situations and scenarios that are put in front of you and having the confidence to do it.”
Smith went past former skipper Steve Waugh’s mark of 32 Test tons and has only Ricky Ponting (41) ahead of him.
“It was just nice to get to three figures. It’s been a little while. It’s been tricky the first couple of games. Had a couple of nice balls and got strangled down the leg side in Adelaide,” he said.
“I feel like I’ve been batting well the last month or so. It was kind of just sticking to my processes, trusting that it’ll turn around.”
Australia’s Steve Smith scored his 33rd Test hundred on the second day of the third Test against India on Sunday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
