In the recent T20I squads of the Australian team, the selectors have overlooked their veteran batter, Steve Smith, who played his last 20-over game for the national side against New Zealand towards the start of the year, but missed the recently concluded T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).
Steve Smith also didn’t find a place in the three-match T20I series in Scotland and isn’t going to feature in their upcoming white-ball series in England. His records of the shortest format haven’t been as supreme as other forms, with 1094 T20I runs in 55 innings at an average of under 25 and a strike rate of 125.45.
The New South Wales (NSW) batter is expected to be back for their five-match Test series at home against India, but does that mean his time in the shortest format of the game is over at the moment? The national selectors went with young Jake-Fraser McGurk, who made 16 runs against Scotland, including two ducks in three games.
Mark Taylor calls to bring Steve Smith back in the T20I squad
After not getting a chance during the T20 World Cup, the Sydney-born decided to be part of the recent season of the Major League Cricket (MLC), where he led the Washington Fires to their title, as he also contributed being the second-highest run-getter of the event with 336 runs in nine innings at an average of 56 and a strike rate of around 150 with the help of three half-centuries and a best score of 88 runs.
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The former captain of the national side, Mark Taylor, felt that the selectors had been trying to put only the hitters in the side, which would eventually work in the future.
“I’m interested to see what Australia does from here on with that top order to replace Dave Warner.” Taylore expressed during a discussion on ‘Wide World of Sports’. “It seems to be at the moment; it’s about putting more and more hitters in there, and eventually, one of them will come off. I think that’s a bit of a flawed plan because I’d like to see Steve Smith back in our order somewhere.”
Overall in his T20 career, having been part of different franchises around the globe, the 35-year-old has smashed 5633 runs in 226 innings at an average of 31.64 and a strike rate of nearly 130, celebrating 27 half-centuries and three centuries with a best score of unbeaten 125-run knock.
Taylor highlighted that in that defeat against Afghanistan during the T20 World Cup, they needed someone who could have held one end and played till the end on that slow surface at Warner Park in St Kitts.
“If or when you get a slow pitch as we did in the recent World Cup, we lost to Afghanistan, which forced us out of that World Cup, We needed someone like Steve Smith in that middle order.” The 59-year-old shaded light. “I still think the better batsmen in the world will bat well in all formats so, I just worry about our philosophy that Warner’s out, let’s go with another hitter.”
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The veteran feared that sometimes, on a slow track, a team, trying to get 200 gets bundled out for below 150, while the stable players could guide them to the winning total with this quality batting.
“I’d still like Australian selectors to think about putting Steve Smith back in the side somewhere to add a bit of stability for a slow pitch. On a flat pitch surely, put all your hitters in and go for it, try and make 200. On a slower pitch, sometimes 150 can be hard to chase, as we saw when Australia played Afghanistan in the recent World Cup.” Mark Taylor concluded.