Mahela Jayawardene refrains from calling Steve Smith the greatest batsman of this generation

Steve Smith has been an enigma in the ongoing Ashes. The Australian skipper is averaging 142 in the ongoing series and is the leading run scorer with 426 runs. Former Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene applauded Smith for his brilliant knock.

‘Smudge’ as he’s referred to by his teammates, went on to register his highest ever Test score of 239 in the third test at WACA. The right-handed batsman has a tremendous record in Tests and is already being compared to the batting greats. However, Jayawardene felt that he still had a long way to go.

One of the fans on Twitter was keen to know the former Sri Lankan skipper’s views on the same.

“Is @stevesmith49 the best test batsman of this generation? His test average of 61+ is now second to Don Bradman’s. @MahelaJay @maxyklinger”

Is @stevesmith49 the best test batsman of this generation? His test average of 61+ is now second to Don Bradman's. @MahelaJay @maxyklinger

— Kazi Inam Ahmed (@kaziinam) December 16, 2017

Mahela praised Smith for his brilliant knock. He lauded the Australian skipper’s performance in the Ashes. However, he also mentioned that there was a long way to go for the 28-year-old.

“Long way to go but he is showing class. Brilliant knock from him today”

Long way to go but he is showing class. Brilliant knock from him today.. https://t.co/Der2sQPV3N

— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) December 16, 2017

Steve Smith currently averages a scintillating 62.32 which is next only to Sir Don Bradman. He has scored 5796 runs with 22 centuries and he converted two of them into double hundreds. For his consistency and temperament to produce brilliant knocks in tough conditions Smith is regarded as the greatest batsman in modern day cricket.

Virat Kohli too has been raising his game in the traditional format. Having smashed 6 double centuries in the last 18 months, Kohli too has been rising on the ranks. The 29-year-old has scored 5268 runs at an amazing average of 53.75.

The fact that both of them also captain their respective teams and sharing quite a rivalry on the field, the competition between the two is always stiff. It would be exciting to see how these two fare in the upcoming years.