CWC 2019: Steve Smith shares an emotional message after Southampton crowd booed him for his century

What's the story?

Former Australian captain Steve Smith responded to the Southampton crowd that booed him when he walked out to bat. He said that didn't really care what was happening around him, and would like to focus on his primary job, which was scoring runs for Australia.

In case you didn't know...

Steve Smith was one of the three players who were suspended for one year for ball tampering. His suspension period got over just before the World Cup. The right-hander is now looking to retrieve the glory he earned in the past.

The heart of the matter

Australia played their first warm-up game against the arch-rivals England at Southampton. When Smith walked out to bat, the crowd booed him, and also chanted 'Cheat..Cheat'. Nevertheless, the Australian star went on to score a match-winning century. He let his bat do the talking. After the innings. He shared what went through his mind when the crowd booed him.

" I heard a few things as I went out to bat, but it didn't really get to me, I'm kind of just trying to keep my head down and move straight ahead and just do my job. Fortunately today I was able to score a few runs for the team and, more importantly, spend some time in the middle before our first game of the World Cup."

He further added that not getting enough reception from the crowd did not bother him. He was happy with his teammates' support from the Australian team balcony.

"It doesn't bother me, it's just doing my job and I know that I've got the support of my team-mates up on the balcony and that's the most important thing. If I can make them proud out in the middle and make Australians proud as much as I can tell, that's my job"

What's next?

Steve Smith is one of the best batsmen in the world. He has shown just what he is capable of in the warm-up game against England. Maybe the things happening around him would help to bring the best out of him.

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