Three fast bowlers who made it look easy to bowl Steve Smith out in Tests Steve Smith, the former captain of Australia, is the greatest player to ever play in a Test.
His stats speak for themselves: with 29 centuries under his belt, 8458 runs at an average of 60.4. Regardless of the conditions, bowlers find it extremely difficult to bowl at him due to his unconventional strategy.
In every nation that participates in Tests (minimum five innings), Smith is the only active batter with an average above 40. This demonstrates that he has a diverse record and has not particularly struggled in any bowling environment or condition. He has a very strong record against England and India.
However, there are a few bowlers who have been able to dominate the Australian powerhouse. In this article, we examine three of these fast bowlers.
#1 Neil Wagner
During Test cricket, New Zealand’s bowling lineup was led by Neil Wagner, who played a significant role. He has gotten 246 wickets in 59 matches at a normal of 26 and a strike rate of 52.
He is known to bowl relentlessly, almost like a workhorse, according to the rumor. In order to take wickets, he can keep bowling backs of good length and short pitches to specific fields for extended periods of time.
In red-ball cricket, Wagner has easily the best record against Smith. The left-arm pacer has excused Smith multiple times and surrendered 80 runs in four Test matches. During New Zealand’s tour of Australia in 2019/2020, four of those five occurred.
According to the former No. 1 batter, the left-arm pacer’s capacity for consistent pace, length, and line were the deciding factors. The batter was placed in a very awkward position by his bowling.
#2 Kagiso Rabada
One of the best Test fast bowlers in the world is Kagiso Rabada, a South African fast bowler. With 265 wickets in 56 matches at an average of 22.12 and a strike rate of 39.5, his record in the format is almost unbelievable.
In seven Tests, he has dismissed the Australian batter four times, costing 94 runs. One of the most intense on-field rivalries in recent Test cricket has been between Smith and Rabada.
For “inappropriate physical contact” with the former Australian skipper, Rabada was even disqualified from participating in a few Test matches during the notorious 2018 series.
#3 Morne Morkel
Morne Morkel, along with Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, was a member of the renowned pace trio from South Africa. They put some of the best batters in the world to the test with their potent team. In 86 Test matches, he took 309 wickets at a strike rate of 53.3 and an average of 27.66.
In five Test matches, the tall South African quick has dismissed Smith three times, allowing 70 runs. He dismissed the Australian twice in 2018’s infamous Newlands Test for single-digit runs in both innings.
The two excusals were comparable – fighting off a back-of-the-length conveyance to the chasm. The former captain felt awkward because of the additional bounce.
Additionally, it was Morkel’s second final red-ball cricket match for South Africa, and the two players never played against each other again in international cricket.