Shoaib Akhtar on dealing with Steve Smith: 'I'd have tried to hurt him

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar critiqued Steve Smith's technique and said that he 'would have tried to hurt' him if he was playing during former's days in international cricket. Shoaib Akhtar said that he was surprised at how Steve Smith mand to make his batting effective even though he had style and technique. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Shoaib Akhtar said that he would have definitely tried to hurt Steve Smith had he been playing during Shoaib Akhtar's stint with Pakistan's national team. Furr, Shoaib Akhtar said that it was impossible to hurt a guy like Steve Smith who was playing so well. former Pakistani pacer wished Australian success in future and hailed him as a 'one of a kind' cricketer. 

READ | Virat Kohli Becomes 'one With Moment' Amid His Tryst With Nature

Shoaib Akhtar impressed by Steve Smith's technique and style

READ | Sanju Samson Drops A Hint About Featuring In India's 2nd T20 Vs B'desh

Steve Smith shines for Australia

Steve Smith had come out to middle at fall of David Warner's wicket. Chasing a target of 151, Aussies had got off to a good start as opening pair of David Warner and captain Aaron Finch had added 30 runs before southpaw was castled by Mohammad Amir in quest of scoring quick runs. Warner's opening partner Finch did t last long eir and hosts were reduced to 48/2. Steve Smith n anchored Australian run chase as he and Ben McDermott added 58 runs for third wicket stand before McDermott was trapped in front of wicket of Imad Wasim. Meanwhile, Smith ensured that Aussies lost more wickets as he took responsibility of scoring bulk of runs. In end, his efforts paid off as Australia reached target in 19th over. Smith remained unbeaten on a 51-ball 80 at a strike rate of 156.86 including 11 boundaries and a maximum. 

READ | Dean Jones Calls Rishabh Pant A 'one-trick Pony', Gives Him Some Tips

Steve Smith's statistics

While Steve Smith's track record as a batsman is illustrious, especially in Tests, his record in T20 leaves much to be desired. His T20 aver is just 27.48 in 35 matches. However, Steve Smith attributed it to him being a leg-spinner who batted lower down order. Since moving up to number 3, his aver has gone up to 48.57. He said he used to bat at number 8 or 9, which was t easy and affected his record. But he stated he had faith in his ability, and he uses placement and timing to his advant. 30-year-old's versatility can be judged from his nickname ''Mr. Fix-it'', and he takes his role as problem solver seriously. Steve Smith said that while chasing, he takes into account run rate required, bowlers to target, and works out math to successfully chase it down.

READ | Harsha Bhogle Tells Fans This Woman Cricketer Is Ahead Of Rohit Sharma