Steve Smith Doesn't Look Like He's One Of The Best Ever: Alastair Cook
Updated - 10 Sep 2019, 03:45 PM
Lavishing praise on Steve Smith, former England captain Alastair Cook has said that the Australian is operating on a different level at the moment. Like many, Cook is also not very much convinced with Smith’s batting style which perhaps made him say that the batsman doesn’t look like an all-time great but the legendary batsman admitted that Smith is redefining batting.
Smith has been in red-hot form in the ongoing Ashes. The former Australia skipper, in fact, has been the difference between the two sides in the series. It is Smith’s performance with the bat that has helped Australia retain the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001.
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That 82 is his lowest score in the series tells the entire story. Despite missing three innings due to concussion, Smith is the leading run-getter by far. He has already scored more than 600 runs. In five innings, he has scored two centuries, one double century and two fifties (92 and 82). Such has been his form in the Ashes that he has also reclaimed the number one Test ranking despite missing one year of action due to the ban.
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“He doesn’t look like he’s one of the best ever,” Alastair Cook told The Guardian before adding: “But he’s operating on a different level. I’ve always had Lara, Ponting and Kallis as the three best batsmen I’ve ever seen. Smith [30] is younger than me but what he’s achieving is phenomenal. He’s redefining what is possible as a batsman. The MCC manual talks about side-on movement but Smith stands in a much more open way and still plays incredibly well.
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“He is a freak in terms of his ability to play the kind of unorthodox shot, on all-fours, he used to get to his 50 on the first day [last week]. His God-given talent, apart from his work ethic and hand-eye co-ordination, is extraordinary. He nicks the ball far less than any other player ever – maybe with the exception of Don Bradman. Smith just doesn’t miss a ball on his pads,” he added.
Australia, meanwhile, have taken an unassailable 2-1 lead in the series and will be looking to win the series. The team from Down Under has not won the Ashes in England since 2001.
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Steve Smith