One of the most talented batsmen of the modern era, Steve Smith’s form with the bat has been exemplary in the last two years. He has been amassing runs at will for his team across the formats. However, the Australian skipper is going through a lean patch currently in the shortest format of the game.
Smith was made the captain of the Australian T20I side after Australia got thrashed by India in a bilateral T20 series down under. They lost that series 3-0 and Steve Smith took over from Aaron Finch. He has been given the job to win the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 for Australia, the only trophy that is missing from their illustrious cabinet.
in the five matches since his appointment, the 26-year-old has scored 89 at 17.80 with a strike rate of 114.10 and a top score of 44 against South Africa in Cape Town two weeks ago. Smith, despite the recent poor form, is confident that a big score is just around the corner for him.
Spend a bit of time in the middle and get a score
Speaking before the all-important clash against Pakistan, he said, “I had a pretty good net just then working on a few things and got my swing quite good so I’m pretty happy.
"(It's) just about trying to spend a bit of time in the middle and get a score, (which) would be nice."
In the first game against New Zealand in the ongoing tournament, Smith was deceived by a sharp away going delivery bowled by New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner. In the next game, he was bowled by Bangladesh's pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman.
"I haven’t missed too much on my pads I reckon over the last two years, so I’m not too disappointed about it, I’m not thinking about it too much," Smith said when asked about his dismissal in Australia's three-wicket win over Bangladesh.
One of the most successful players for Australia in the last year or so, the reigning ICC Player Of The Year knows it very well that his form is crucial to his team’s success. He has to get back to runs quickly to bolster Australia’s chances in the ICC T20 World Cup 2016.
He sounded worried about the struggling Australian middle order and hinted a change in that before the Pakistan game. Smith also said that the talented all-rounder Shane Watson might come down in the order to strengthen their middle order. It seems that David Warner can move to the top order if Watson comes down.
Australia, desperate for a win against Pakistan, will hope that their skipper will be back in form at the earliest.
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