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For not recognizing Steve Smith as an opening batsman in white-ball cricket, veteran Australian wicket-keeper Ian Healy has criticized the national selectors. Smith, 33, has scored 36, 101, 125 not out, and 66 runs in four innings for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League (BBL).
Given that David Warner and Aaron Finch are not at their best, according to Healy, it is tough to disregard Smith’s qualifications as the opener. After a terrible season in which the hosts were forced to leave the T20 World Cup early at home, Finch announced his retirement from ODIs late last year.
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Additionally, Healy likened Smith to cricket star Don Bradman and claimed it was a “privilege” to see the player bat.
When asked if he preferred that Smith begin in the shortest format, Healy responded, “Definitely, how could you not?”
“Who opened with (David) Warner in the T20 World Cup? It was Finchy (Aaron Finch) who was the captain. Both Warner and Finch aren’t playing anywhere near as well as Smith, so he overtakes both of those in my eyes with the way he’s batting now,” Healy told Sportsday NSW on Wednesday.
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The 58-year-old continued by saying that the selectors should take into account Smith for the opener position in the 50-over World Cup in India in addition to T20 Internationals.
“We don’t play many international T20s so hopefully he’s doing this (scoring big in BBL) in the lead-up to the next World Cup. Even in the 50-over game, I’d be opening with him as well.”
Healy claimed that very few Australian hitters had a technique that even came close to Smith’s.
“I feel like it’s a privilege watching him. When he gets out, seeing how hard the others are doing it, the discrepancy between him and the rest is unbelievable, it’s very Bradman-like. He’s just doing it so easily and how he’s done it, he’d have a technical idea of what he’s doing — he’s talking grip and everything like that, but I like his feet, his feet are still and his head is still.
“When he played at his best maybe three years ago or four years ago, he was walking all over the place but when the bowler delivered the ball he was dead still, and his feet were set. He’s finding the middle of the bat incredibly often and it feels like a privilege watching him play like this, he wasn’t doing it six months ago.”
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