Will Pucovski, a promising young opener who is yet to debut for Australia has opened up about his first impression of star Australian batsman former skipper Steve Smith, admitting that he couldn’t understand how the latter was part of the Australian side with his unconventional batting technique.
Speaking to 7Cricket, Will Pucovski who suffered a concussion during a warm-up game and was eventually ruled out of 1st Test but may play soon spoke about his experience as a 12-year-old teenager when he saw Steve Smith batting for the first time in Test match cricket.
Will Pucovski: Steve Smith Had Weird Technique And Was Surprised To See Him Playing For Australia In Tests
During the interview, the young Australian revealed that the first time he saw Steve Smith batting was during the Boxing Day Test- the second Test of that series between Australia and England in 2010. This was Steve Smith’s second Test series after Pakistan series where he scored exactly 100 runs. Australia had lost the above mentioned Melbourne Test by an innings and 157 runs, with the home side being bundled out for 98 in the first innings as England scored 513.
“I remember Steve Smith was batting at 6 or 7 that day, and he had the weird technique and everything. And I was like how is this bloke playing for Australia like what is he doing? This is ridiculous.” Will Pucovski’s hilarious take on Steve Smith’s batting style
Steve Smith was only beginning to start his Test career at that time and ended up scoring 6 off 15 balls and 38 off 67 balls in the two innings while batting at No.6. During the interview, Will Pucovski shed light on his first experience of watching Steve Smith bat as a 12-year-old. Looking back, Will Pucovski admitted that his first opinion on Steve Smith’s batting was one of the ‘dumbest things’ he has ever said.
Will Pucovski Not First Person To Question Steve Smith’s Unconventional Batting Technique
Will Pucovski is not among the first person to doubt Steve Smith’s batting technique. The Australian is known for being a busy customer at the batting crease constantly scoring runs at will besides making headlines due to his unconventional batting style.
Although the conversation around Steve Smith’s batting technique has been questioned and is a hot topic for several years, the Australian has silenced critics with his superb batting record. Steve Smith has a staggering average of 62.31 in Test cricket which is one of the best in Tests as he has amassed 7229 runs in 74 Tests.
During the interview, Will Pucovski hilariously admitted that this was the first time he had revealed about his initial impressions of Steve Smith. Will Pucovski, who is unlikely to feature in the Boxing Day Test against India as he recovers from a concussion, could make his debut in 3rd or 4th Test and thereby will soon be playing alongside Steve Smith in the Test team.
Australian run-machine Steve Smith says though his unorthodox batting stance depends on a lot of factors, he generally positions himself outside the off-stump to reduce ways in which he can be dismissed. Steve Smith, the world number one Test batsman has an unconventional batting technique which most experts have failed to decode. The 30-year-old said his off-stump stance also helps him to leave the ball which are outside his line of sight.