MCG and Steve Smith's special relationship

There are some surreal relationships in sport that stand the test of time. The player and the place forge a special bond that grows intimate with the passage of time. The world of sport has been witness to several such ethereal relationships. When somebody thinks of French Open, the first name that comes to mind is that of Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard is a 12-time champion at Roland-Garros, a statistic that just boggles the mind.

Even the world of cricket has been witness to several long standing and intimate bonds. Sachin Tendulkar and the Sydney Cricket Ground forged a special relationship with each other. In fact, one of Tendulkar’s most disciplined knocks of all time where he refused to play even a single cover drive through the off side on his way to a masterly 241* came in Sydney.

One such relationship in modern sport that has been hard to overlook is the one between Steven Smith and the Melbourne Cricket Ground. A look at the numbers that Smith has at the MCG is proof enough that the batting gladiator knows the in and out of the MCG like the back of his hand. Further analysis of the numbers throws light into this assertion.

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In the 11 innings that he has played at the MCG, Smith has scored a colossal 901 runs, including 4 hundreds and 3 fifties, at a whopping average of 128.71. And, in the Boxing Day Test against New Zealand, the Australian batting run machine was again at his thrilling best, flattening the Kiwis’ bowling attack by mixing caution with aggression. Smith scored a magnificent 85, including 8 fours and a six. Smith’s knock allowed Australia to post a mammoth 467 runs on the board and put the opposition under pressure.

Before the 85 run knock, Smith had scored 4 hundreds in his last four Tests at the MCG. He had scored a splendid 192 against India in 2014 and followed that up with another 134* in the subsequent year against the West Indies. He then scored 165* in 2016 against Pakistan, and followed that up with a magical 102* in the fourth Ashes Test that ended in a draw against England in 2017. And now, he has scored another 85 in the ongoing Test to continue his love affair with the MCG.

The sporting world has seen wonderful relationships between a specific player and a venue, and the Smith-MCG bond too, fits into the list comfortably.