Cricket / best player

When Steven smith first came into the Australian side in 2009, there were murmurs that Smith could be the next Shane Warne. The comparison was acknowledged by Warne himself quoting. “I think he has got that X-Factor about him,” he also went onto say. “He could be something pretty special.” 8 years down the line he has proved the statements made by Warne albeit as batsman. A niche in the fab four. The much famed fab four of the modern era consists of Virat kohli, Kane Williamson, Joe root and Steven Smith .When you watch any of these batters with Smith as an exception .We could predict that they could go on to become great batsman for their respective sides but Smith was never destined to be a batsman let alone becoming a test batsman. On the contrary he has emerged as an unplanned hero from the lot. A look at his test carrier. In his brief carrier of 73 tests he is averaging a whopping 62.84 .This is a remarkable feet taking into account that he has played initial matches of his carrier as bowler who can bat a bit. Smith now has 26 tons to his name. He has had a purple patch lasting 5(Excluding a year of suspension) years and counting .During this period of 61 tests he has an average in 70s next only to the great Sir Don Bradman. The purple patch. In his last 5 years in test cricket he has aggregated 1146 runs in 2014, 1474 runs in 2015, 1079 runs in 2016 and 1117 so far in 2017.During his comeback in the Ashes series ,He scored an astonishing 774 runs in the 4 test matches he played.This enabled Australia to retain the ashes.In 2015 he was awarded Allan border medal; Australian test and one day player of the year, ICC player of the year and one day player of the year. Steve smith –As a leader. Smith was awarded the captaincy in the year 2014 following an injury to Michael Clarke in Border Gavaskar trophy. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands .He not only led his team to victory, but was also the highest run getter ever in a 4 match test series scoring 769 runs. Out of 28 test matches as captain Australian team has won 15, lost 8 and drawn 5 with a win percentage of 53.57%.The stats as captain have taken a hit following the tough tours of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India. Performance in One day internationals. Smith also has decent returns in shorter format of the game .Even though his stats doesn’t look as impressive as Virat or Kane. He averages 42.23 in 103 ODI’s he has played. He was the run machine in the 2015 world cup amassing 402 runs. He is the only player to have five consecutive fifty plus scores in world cup history.You do not have to be an Australian to admire Smith’s determination or appreciate his story. He is cricket’s unplanned hero, a perfect mix of talent, hard work and opportunity.Smith’s story might have been a fairy tale to start with but what he does from now on will be a story to tell for centuries. You do not have to be an Australian to admire Smith’s determination or appreciate his story. He is cricket’s unplanned hero, a perfect mix of talent, hard work and opportunity.Smith’s story might have been a fairy tale to start with but what he does from now on will be a story to tell for centuries.