da fezbet： Steven Smith’s all-round skills are so well honed that he’s been asked tobe the side’s funny man in his first Ashes Test
da leao： Peter English in Perth14-Dec-2010Steven Smith’s all-round skills are so well honed that he’s been asked tobe the side’s funny man in his first Ashes Test. In a strange request fora 21-year-old, Smith has been called to boost the morale of Australia’sstruggling outfit as well as provide runs at No.6 and wickets with hislegspin.”I’ve been told that I’ve got to come into the side and be fun,” Smithsaid at the WACA. “For me, it’s about having energy in the field andmaking sure I’m having fun and making sure everyone else around is havingfun, whether it be telling a joke or something like that. It’s to makesure we’re all upbeat and we’re ready to go. I think that’s something Ican bring to this side.”Smith has played only two Tests, as Nathan Hauritz’s replacement againstPakistan in July, but has already shown Ricky Ponting and the team leadersthat he is a star of the future. Young talent may not save this Ashesseries for Australia, but it will help them in the medium to long term asthey rebuild from their current slump.The selectors finally dropped Marcus North after his stop-start run overthe past two years and elevated Smith. The promotion to the top six cameearlier than expected and he is not yet a master of either of his twospecialist disciplines.Ponting admires Smith’s talent but indicated after the Pakistan series inJuly that his batting was not quite at the elite standard. AfterAustralia’s performances over the past two Tests, he is definitely worth atry, although making him the side’s motivator seems an extra burden forsomeone so fresh.What Smith is comfortable with is being a batting allrounder, after hisfirst two Tests were spent as the lead spinner. He collected three wicketsin those games and showed his power and raw technique with 77 in thesecond innings of the defeat to Pakistan.”It’s what I always wanted to do, play in the Australian side as abatsman,” Smith said. “It’s the pinnacle of Australian cricket, playing inan Ashes series. I can’t wait to get out there and have a crack.”He will look to take on England’s fast bowlers if they bounce him on whatis expected to be a lively WACA pitch. Smith is quite small at 176cm, buthas an aggressive approach that can make things exciting and hairy. Withthe ball, he will work with Michael Beer, the debutant left-arm spinner.As the team joker, it looks like he’ll be on his own.
