Test Cricket Needs Players Like Steven Smith - Ian Bell

Veteran England cricketer, Ian Bell feels the game like cricket needs players like Steven Smith, who is serving a ban due to his involvement in a ball-tampering incident against South Africa in March, early this year. Meanwhile, Smith along with David Warner got banned for 12 months by the Cricket Australia (CA). Cameron Bancroft, the third player involved in the incident is serving a ban of nine months as well.

Test cricket needs Steven Smith to return – Bell

Though the tainted trio is set to miss the forthcoming India series, Ian Bell feels a bit of sympathy for Steven Smith, in particular. He applauds the former Australia captain by saying he is a ‘good guy.’

Moreover, Bell also added Smith is also a good human being and that he had made a mistake unintentionally or by getting out of control.

“We don’t want to see ball-tampering in the game, but look, Steve Smith is a good guy, a good bloke, obviously it got to the point where it got out of control a little bit,” Ian Bell told Gulf News at the DHL Swing Against Cancer charity golf series finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the 29-year-old, Steven Smith averages over 61 in Test cricket with 6199 runs in 64 matches along with 23 hundred. However, the right-hander has been playing franchise-based T20 cricket since his ban.

“He’s averaging 60 runs in Test matches, is great to watch and is different technically than a lot of the other players, and that’s the kind of thing that’s great to watch in Test cricket, guys doing it their own way, so we do need him back in Test cricket in particular.” Ian Bell added.

Concluding it, Ian Bell says he respects Australia cricket and most of the team members are good guys.