The 33-year-old is widely hailed as “the best since Bradman” but the moniker has become a contradiction.

In the modern world of multi-formats andever more Indian-funded domestic T20 leagues around the cricket world,Smith is no longer considered the complete player despite his stratospheric Test performances.

‘If you get too front-on you’re just going to lose power and the ability to hit the ball both sides of the wicket.’

Australian cricketer Steve Smith

Disturbingly snubbed bythe Big Bash League,which desperately needs big names for a post-COVID revival,and ignored by the IPL,Smith has been pushed to the fringes of the national T20 team by David.

Yet,Smith’s Test numbers,8161 runs at an average of 60 with 28 centuries,rank him among the best to ever play the game.

Once he slipped past Bradman’s 6996 career runs,Smith was out on his own claiming major milestones. Against Pakistan earlier this year,Smith became the fastest man to 8,000 Test runs,reaching the milestone in 151 innings.

He beat Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara,who reached the mark in 152 innings. India’s all-time great,Sachin Tendulkar,took 154 innings. Smith charged past fellow Australians Matthew Hayden (164 innings),Ricky Ponting (165),Michael Clarke (172),Allan Border (184) and Steve Waugh (194).

Smith has always stayed still to spinners but his shuffle across the crease to fast bowlers,covering his off stump,left the quicks with small margins for error as he picked off balls through the leg side and pounced on anything with width outside the off stump.

However after his phenomenal 2019 Ashes tours,when he scored 774 runs at an average of 110.57,teams started bowling at Smith differently.

With New Zealand’s manic left-arm fast bowler Neil Wagner leading the way later that year,teams began to attack Smith’s body,restricting his scoring.

Despite continuing to average well,Smith managed just one century in his next 31 Test innings until an unbeaten 145 (and a duck) in his most recent Test,in Sri Lanka last July.

That’s when he began standing still to Sri Lanka’s only seamer,Kasun Rajitha,to better counter his reverse swing.

“I’ve had stages that I’ve been going a little bit too far across,” Smith said of his shuffle.

“I felt like I’m just getting a bit front-on,just getting into positions I haven’t been happy with.”

Smith said this related to white ball cricket as well as Test cricket.

“If you get too front-on you’re just going to lose power and the ability to hit the ball both sides of the wicket as much,” he said. “That’s the main reason behind[the change].”

For all his greatness,Smith’s lack of a brutal power game is in danger of leaving him a boundary-side spectator during Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign a year after he performed modestly as a member of the team thatwon this country’s first T20 World Cup.

Yet Smith believes it is trying to play the power game which has led him to this crossroad.

“I don’t think I can buy into that,” he said. “I’ve probably been guilty of this in the past,trying to up my power game. I’ve tried to do that and it’s just not me.

“So I’m just being authentic and playing my way,and if I do that,I feel I’m good enough for any team.”

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