‘It was close to perfection’ – Steve Smith’s take on his innings against England in first ODI

Australia and England squared off against each other in the first match of the three-match ODI series on November 17, Thursday and it was the Kangaroos who came out on top on the back of stupendous innings from David Warner, Travis Head and Steve Smith. 

While Warner and Head scored 86 and 69 respectively while chasing a target of 288, it was Smith, who stayed till the end and ensured Australia crossed the line with 6 wickets to spare. For the unversed, the talismanic batter scored an unbeaten 80 and helped the team cross the line at the Adelaide Oval. 

Commenting on his innings, Smith said after the match that he felt the best after a wait of 6 years and added that he did not feel that way in those years. Further, the right-handed batter claimed that it felt nice to get some runs under his belt, after going through a rough patch of late. 

Hopefully, it’s the start of a big summer: Steve Smith

Further, the veteran hoped to get things right ahead of a hectic summer and added that he wanted to do well in every match for Australia. Saying that he has been working on a few things of late, Smith added that it worked on Thursday and hoped to carry on with the momentum in the next match to be played on Saturday as well. 

“[It] was probably the best I’ve felt in about six years. I was just in really nice positions and I felt really good, I honestly haven’t felt that way in six years or so. It’s been nice to score some runs in that time and we’re always looking for perfection, and for me yesterday was as close to perfection as I will get,” Smith was quoted as saying. 

“I’ve been working on a few things, it’s almost been a six-month or 12-month process. At the start of last summer, I tried to get my hands back to where they were in 2015. I feel like I’m staying a bit more side-on now and I’ve got my feet and hands in sync together. [Thursday] was probably the first time I’ve actually had extended time in the middle with that change. It’s hard to base something on one innings but it felt as though things clicked for me as they did at the WACA in 2013. Hopefully, it’s the start of a big summer,” he added.