Smith believes his dismissal was a turning point in Australia’s semi-final loss to India.
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Agar: Australia building more depth a big positive despite loss (1:22)
“I missed a full toss. It wasn’t ideal.” These are the words of a leading modern batsman reflecting on a moment that shifted the game away from his team.
Steven Smith, who was batting at 73 in the 37th over against India, appeared poised to guide Australia through to the final overs. However, he charged down the wicket to Mohammed Shami, faced a full toss around knee height, and missed it completely. The ball struck the off stump.
Following this dismissal, Australia managed to score only 66 runs in the remaining 75 balls. Alex Carey scored 61 off 57 balls, batting with the lower order. Nathan Ellis attempted to hit some late boundaries. However, Smith’s wicket is seen as the pivotal moment that paved the way for India’s victory.
“My plan was to try and put the seamers under a bit more pressure, and just rotate the spin,” Smith explained after the match. “But I didn’t execute it well. Losing my wicket at that crucial stage was disappointing. Had I batted deeper, we potentially could have reached around 300. Alex was batting exceptionally well at the other end. It was a disappointing time to get out, but that’s cricket.”
Australia only set India a target of 265 runs. Considering the pitch conditions, likely the most favorable for batting in the entire tournament at this venue, Smith regretted the missed opportunity to score higher.
“I believe we had opportunities throughout the innings to post a score above 300,” Smith stated. “We were probably just one wicket too many down at crucial junctures. If we had extended one of those partnerships further, we could have reached 290 to 300 and applied more scoreboard pressure.”
Steven Smith was bowled by a full toss • Associated Press
“The square block, in general, has seen a lot of cricket recently. It appears quite worn, which likely explains why we haven’t seen a score exceeding 300 in the tournament here yet. So, we performed reasonably, but we just needed a couple of those partnerships to last a bit longer.”
Australia’s fielding also faltered. They dropped Rohit Sharma twice, and Virat Kohli was dropped on 51. Although, Smith acknowledged these were difficult chances.
“I think when you are trying to tighten the game and create pressure, you need to capitalize on those chances when you have 260 [264] on the board,” Smith said. “But that’s the game, it happens. No one intentionally drops a catch. It’s part of the sport.”
Players & Teams
Steven Smith, Mohammed Shami, India, Australia, Australia vs India, ICC Champions Trophy
