It has been a difficult job for England to get the better of Steven Smith in the ongoing Ashes series. However, England wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow was able to fool Steven Smith when he faked a run-out. Smith was coming back for the second and Bairstow came up with a cheeky attempt as if the ball was near him. Smith didn’t turn to see where the ball was and made a diving effort to get back into the crease.
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However, the ball was collected by Jofra Archer at the bowlers’ end. Bairstow and Smith exchanged some friendly smiles but no one said anything to each other. Furthermore, five runs were not awarded to Australia for fake fielding.
Smith has been superb.
Cheeky from Jonny Bairstow ?pic.twitter.com/icYpYzJ2Yt
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) September 13, 2019
In fact, a similar incident had happened in a match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s talismanic wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara had completely bamboozled Shahzad Ahmed.
Meanwhile, former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie and Andrew Tye questioned that it should have been five penalty runs.
https://twitter.com/dizzy259/status/1172531552053616646?s=20
Is that not fake fielding? #Ashes
— Andrew Tye (@aj191) September 13, 2019
Meanwhile, Steven Smith once again scored a fine knock of 80 runs. The linchpin batsman has scored 751 runs at a staggering average of 150.20 in the ongoing Ashes.
The right-hander also became the first batsman to score 10 consecutive Test fifties against any opponent. He went past the record of Inzamam-ul-Haq and Clive Lloyd, who both scored nine half-centuries against England.
Steve Smith was in no danger of being run out here … but Jonny Bairstow made him think he was! #Ashes pic.twitter.com/YajKdVcmc8
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) September 13, 2019
“He got me there, didn’t he? Dirtied my clothes. He didn’t say anything, I don’t think, but he got me. I didn’t know where the ball was. Bloody thing. Faked it. He got me. I don’t know what else to say,” said Smith at the end of the day’s play.
On the other hand, England is in the driver’s seat as they currently lead by 78 runs. Australia could only manage 225 runs in reply to England’s first innings score of 294 and it was once again Steven Smith who did the bulk of the scoring for the visitors.