Australia batting star Steve Smith rarely fails to entertain the fans with his eccentricities at the crease. His quirky movement on the pitch and the unorthodox method to leave the balls have left the fans in splits on several occasions.
He was doing something similar on day 2 of the ongoing Ashes Test against England at Edgbaston. When he came out to bat, Stuart Broad was on a hat-trick, having dismissed David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne on the last two deliveries. The veteran pacer could only fire down one down the leg side as Smith left it comfortably before raising his bat in a hilarious fashion that he usually does.
Throughout his short stay at the crease, he left several deliveries by stepping across the wickets. Smith usually uses this ploy to frustrate the opposition bowlers and make them lose their line and length. And while his eccentricities are a huge hit among the fans, England great Kevin Pietersen was not impressed by it.
Kevin Pietersen on Steve Smith’s leaves:
Speaking after Steve Smith’s dismissal, Kevin Pietersen said that the Australian batsman couldn’t even spot the ball and that he was amused by it. The former England skipper further said that Smith tried to mess with the bowlers but eventually, fell victim to his own ploy.
Smith was on 16 off 59 balls when he moved across the wicket against Ben Stokes and was trapped lbw as he tried to walk across the off-stump.
“It’s the worst leave I’ve seen, incredibly dramatic. It’s gonna be on one of those spot-the-ball competitions in years to come in magazines and newspapers because of the delivery,” Pietersen told Sky Sports.
“Yes, it wasn’t good, but he did have two leg slips. So, he was bowling to his field, but the leave was quite something. We’ve seen a still image of the leave but I think his technique is just there to mess with the bowler. Mental disintegration, the Aussies call it,” he added.
Talking about the game, Australia have made a strong reply to England’s first innings total. Batting first, England declared their innings on 393 for 8. In reply, Australia were reeling at 67 for 3 and then 148 for 4 before finishing day 2 on 311 for 5 thanks to an unbeaten century from Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey’s fifty.
Also Read: The Ashes 2023: Usman Khawaja Reveals The Reason Behind His Emotional Celebration After Century