Steve Smith opens up in this in-depth interview about his batting philosophy, from tempo to technique and everything in between, against spin bowling after having spent countless hours in the nets over the previous few days getting ready for the spin trial he’s anticipated to face in Galle.
Cricbuzz interviewed Steve Smith in which he reveals in-depth analysis about his batting style. When asked about his approach in playing against the spinners, Stev Smith explained his “funda” on it.
“I think for me picking the length up quickly is important. While playing in these conditions in particular, you don’t want to let the bowler just settle into his length. You obviously see particularly the way subcontinent spinners bowl, they get underneath the ball a bit more than back home where they tend to get over the top of the ball and try and get more bounce. Spinners here get a bit more natural variation. So, some balls that go straight on and some bowl the same ball and it reacts differently. They’re owning a length, like a good length. It can be difficult to play if you’re letting them just settle on that length. So, for me it’s about just trying to get them off that length as much as possible, whether that’s by coming down the wicket, getting a bit deeper in my crease and then in between that having a good long reach and try to negate that length as much as possible.
Just putting pressure on the bowler to get them off that length. I try to keep it quite simple like that. And if you can do that for long enough and spend enough time out there then you kind of get a vibe of what the surface is doing. It’s hard to predict I suppose which one’s going to spin and which one’s going to skid. But you kind of get a little bit of a read on it if that makes sense. So yeah spending time out there but also being brave enough to implement the plans straight away. If you take 15-20 balls, there’s a good chance you’ll be out. So, you need to be brave enough to do it from ball one. And get into your game right away. That’s my philosophy,” said Smith.
