Steve Smith on a different level: Ben Stokes
What's the story
England all-rounder Ben Stokes believes his counterpart Steve Smith operates on a different tangent in Test cricket. The southpaw reiterated that Smith's unorthodox batting style gives him an edge over others. Smith and Stokes were a part of the exhilarating Ashes campaign in 2019. The duo also represented Rajasthan Royals in the previous season of Indian Premier League. Here is more.
Quote
Stokes heaps praise on Smith
"Even though he plays for Australia, biggest rivals England and Australia you've just got to hold your hands up sometimes to players like that and go yeah you're on a different level when it comes to batting," said Stokes.
Steve Smith
Smith made a perfect comeback in international cricket
Steve Smith staged a miraculous comeback from the ball-tampering ban, that ruled him out for a year. He announced his arrival with two blistering tons (144, 142) against England in the Ashes series opener at Edgbaston. The former Australian captain finished the series with a record 774 runs in four Tests at 110.57, thereby emulating Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar's tally (774 vs WI, 1971).
Technique
Stokes highlights Smith's unconventional batting style
According to Stokes, Smith is invincible in the longest format due to his quirky technique. "I could not think about cricket in the way that he does when it comes to batting," Stokes stated. He added, "Obviously he's on all the time but that's why he averages sixty whatever he does in Test cricket but that's not for me but it's for him."
Do you know?
Smith ruled Test cricket in 2019
Smith was the second highest-scorer in Test cricket last year, having scored 965 runs in eight matches at an astronomical average of 74.23. The tally included one double ton and three hundreds. Notably, he played the least number of matches among the top five run-scorers.