OTD | One of the finest Australian batters, Steve Smith turns 34

A young spinner with a glimmer of hope in his eyes wanted to become a decent bowler but with a twist in fate turned out to be one of the greatest Test batters of all time. This is the story of Steve Smith who turns 34 today i.e. June 2nd.

Born to an Australian father and a British mother, Steve Smith had set his eyes on cricket quite early in his life. At the nascent age of 17, Smith left for England to play for Sevenoaks Vine in Kent Cricket League.

On the back of his brilliant showcase in England, Smith was added to the Australian team for the 2008 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia. In four matches, Smith was able to score 114 runs and take 7 wickets at the World Cup, paving the way for his further inclusion in the side.

Smith had a stark rise in domestic cricket following his Under-19 World Cup showing wherein he turned into a high-quality batter. Smith’s batting average rose to over 50 by the end of the 2009-10 season such was his turnaround from a spin bowler to a batter.

Smith made his Australia senior team debut in 2010 but took 3 years to get his century at the 2013 Ashes. Smith, now established as a quality batter, was handed the captain’s armband for Australia when the team hosted India in the absence of regular captain Michael Clarke. This is when Smith took the next step towards greatness when he hit a century in each of the four Test matches against India and became only the second batter after Jacques Kallis to achieve this feat.

The right-hand batter continued his brilliant form into the World Cup 2015 and took the team to another trophy. His career however hasn’t been a bed of roses. He had to face a humiliating one-year ban for taking part in the ‘sandpaper scandal’ that rocked Australian cricket.

Smith, however, made a comeback to the game after his ban and continued to take steps towards greatness in the game. As of right now, Smith’s stats in Test stand tall among some of the best players who have ever graced the cricket pitch. In 96 matches, the Australian batter has made 8792 runs at a sensational average of 59.8. He has 30 centuries to his name in Test cricket in just 96 matches. For comparison, Virat Kohli has 28 centuries in 108 matches.

With fitness by his side, Smith is expected to play for a few more years and end career as one of the finest Test players Australia has ever produced.