'GOAT'- Twitterati wish Steve Smith on his 33rd birthday

Steven Smith is one of the finest batters going around.

By Pratheek S

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Steve Smith
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Steve Smith. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

Australian star batter Steve Smith turned 33 on June 2 (Thursday). The former Australian captain made his international debut in 2010, starting out as a leg-spinner who batted down the order. Today, he is regarded as one of the best batters of this generation and is currently ranked second in the ICC Test batting rankings. He is second only to his compatriot Marnus Labuschagne.

Smith first caught the attention of the cricketing fraternity in 2009 when he had a successful outing with New South Wales in the inaugural Champions League T20. He scored a valuable 33 off 26 balls coming in at number six, and also picked crucial wickets of opener Adrian Barath and Captain of Trinidad & Tobago Darren Ganga in the final. New South Wales went on to win the tournament by 41 runs and lifted the trophy.

Steve Smith started his career as a leg-spinner 

In his first two years of playing international cricket, although he was regarded as a bowler who could contribute a little with the bat, it was observed by the others that he had a lot of potential with the bat. After the 2010-11 ashes, the Smith’s lack of form saw him dropped from the team from all formats. But it was the trip to England in 2013 that saw the 33-year-old emerge as a batting talent. Australian icon Greg Chappell even deemed him to be the best batting talent that Australia had at the time.

The right-handed batter is known for his unorthodox technique and enormous mental strength. Being able to bat for long hours in challenging conditions is one of his main strengths, which makes him arguably the best Test batter in the last few years. As of now, he has scored 38 international centuries, three double centuries and 65 half-centuries. 

Smith has one of the best batting averages in Tests at the time with 59.77. He has also picked up 63 international wickets across formats. He also established himself as a handy close-in fielder and is a regular at the slip cordon in Test cricket. He has 140 catches in 85 Test matches and 109 grabs in limited-overs. 

In 2018, he was involved in an infamous ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. In a Test match at Newlands, Cape Town, Cameron Bancroft was caught on cameras roughening the ball illegally with sandpaper. The then captain Steve Smith, along with then vice-captain David Warner, later admitted to being involved in the incident. This resulted in Cricket Australia banning Smith from international and domestic cricket for 12 months. 

Meanwhile, here is how Twitter wished Steve Smith:

 

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