Steve Smith’s century-spree in the Ashes 2019 opener against arch-rivals England was a testimony of the mental strength the swashbuckling batsman possess, feels legendary Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath.
Speaking during an event, McGrath praised Smith’s beleaguered innings and said that the hostile English crowd was giving the Aussie batsman a hard time at the crease.
“You have to go out there and let the bat do the talking. It’s been 16 or 17 months since what happened in South Africa, it’s time to be left in the past. The crowd was giving Smith a pretty hard time. For him to come out there and perform shows the mental strength he has,” McGrath said.
The former Australian speedster feels Smith’s hunger to seek redemption after losing out 12-months of cricket was clearly visible at the time of his batting.
“He (Smith) just went out there and looked at ease, he looked like he had so much more time than anyone else in the whole match. That episode made him a lot hungrier. Those were couple of special innings, they meant a lot to him and the rest of the team,” he added.
“He will be pretty special by the end of his career, he has got an average of more than 60. He is not your conventional, technically-correct batsman. He is one of the very few batsmen who can adapt his game according to the conditions on offer,” McGrath added.
