Smith punishes himself despite Australia's win over Pakistan. But why?
What's the story
Hosts Australia came up with a fine performance to defeat visitors Pakistan by an innings and five runs in the opening Test in Brisbane. While the Australians celebrated the emphatic win, one team member of the side decided to punish himself and it was none other than their prolific batsman Steve Smith. But why did he do so?
The punishment
Smith punished himself for underperforming
Speaking on why Smith decided to punish himself, his explanation was simple, as he did so for having under-performed in the Test, just like he rewards himself with a chocolate bar for scoring runs. "If I get no runs, I always like to have a run or go to the gym or do something just to give myself a bit of punishment," Smith said.
Information
How did Smith punish himself?
After Smith was dismissed for mere four by spinner Yasir Shah, following the end of the match, Smith decided not to board the team bus. Instead, he jogged for three kilometers, from the stadium to the team hotel, in a manner of punishment.
Match report
How did the match pan out?
Winning the toss and electing to bat, Pakistan were bundled for 240. Meanwhile, Australia were ruthless with the bat, especially their top order, with Warner (154) and Marnus Labuschagne (185), playing a hell of an innings. Pakistan, in the second innings, did show a fight, as Babar Azam scored a century, but it wasn't enough as Australia won by an innings and five runs.
Recent performance
Smith is coming off a terrific performance in The Ashes
Considering Smith's recent performance in the format, he is coming off a terrific performance in The Ashes a couple of months back. He scored 774 runs in seven innings at a Bradmansque average of 110.57, including three centuries and three half-centuries. It should also be noted that he did not bat in a match and an innings owing to a concussion.
Smith's records
Some records held by Smith
Following are some of the records held by Smith: - Only player to win ICC Test Player of the Year award on multiple occasions. - Youngest player to win ICC Cricketer of the Year award. - Fastest Australian to score 10,000 international runs. - Youngest Australian to score 6,000 Test runs. - Fastest Australian to reach 3,000 ODI runs.