Published 12:05 IST, June 15th 2020
Steve Smith names toughest bowler for him to face and it is NOT Jofra Archer
Steve Smith, who has been quite active on social media recently, held another Q and A session on Instagram where he named the toughest bowler he has faced.
Australia batsman Steve Smith is arguably one of the best players in the world right now. The right-hander is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the longest format of the game and is widely regarded as the best batsman in the format at the moment. Steve Smith is the No. 1 ranked batsman in Test cricket, who has been consistently churning out runs for the Australian team.
Steve Smith names Mohammad Amir as the most skilful bowler he has faced
The right-hander averages a staggering 62.84 in Test match cricket which is the highest among the current cricketers. Steve Smith has slowly established himself in the limited-overs formats as well. Bowlers all over the world find it difficult to dismiss Steve Smith. Recently, Steve Smith revealed the name of the bowler who he finds the most difficult to face.
Steve Smith who has been quite active on social media recently held another Q and A session on Instagram where he answered several questions ranging from his personal life to professional life. In his illustrious career so far, Steve Smith has faced the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Dale Steyn, Jasprit Bumrah etc. But Steve Smith considers Pakistan speedster Mohammad Amir as the bowler who he finds difficult to face.
The answer can come as a slight surprise to some since Steve Smith has been troubled in the past more by the likes of England's Jofra Archer, New Zealand's Neil Wagner and India's Ravindra Jadeja in Test cricket. Archer and Wagner made a name for themselves by troubling Smith with bouncers in 2019, despite the batsman making a fine comeback in international cricket after a year's ban. Jadeja, on the other hand, is one of the spinners alongside the now-retired Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath, to have got the better of him on most occasions, showing Smith's perceived weaknesses being against left-arm spin and fiery bouncers.
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When it comes to Mohammed Amir, the Pakistani bowler himself had claimed in an interview with ESPNcricinfo a few months ago, that he found Steve Smith the most difficult batsman to bowl to, making both show equal respect for each other. Amir has indeed given nightmares to several batsmen over the years. However, the left-arm pacer hasn't been able to replicate his brilliant performances in recent months.
Mohammad Amir has not really performed as per expectations since starring in Pakistan’s historic 2017 Champions Trophy final win. To the surprise of cricket fans, Mohammad Amir retired from Tests last year just before the challenging tour of Australia.
Mohammad Amir and Haris Sohail pull out from England vs Pakistan 2020 series
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a statement which said that Mohammad Amir has withdrawn so that he can attend the birth of his second child in August, while Haris Sohail will miss the tour because of family reasons. The statement further read that Pakistan will send 28 players and a 14-member support staff for the three Tests and three T20Is to be played in August and September. The squad, as well as pre-series and series schedule, will be announced in due course.
Interestingly, Mohammad Amir was axed from the list of players who got central contracts from the PCB for the 2020-21 season. Mohammad Amir was expected to be a part of the T20I squad while Haris Sohail was set to be part of both the T20I and the Test squads.
IMAGE COURTESY: AP
Updated 12:05 IST, June 15th 2020