steven peter devereux smith – Artifex.News https://artifex.news Stay Connected. Stay Informed. Wed, 03 Apr 2024 12:47:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6 https://artifex.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/cropped-Artifex-Round-32x32.png steven peter devereux smith – Artifex.News https://artifex.news 32 32 How To Tackle Mayank Yadav’s Fiery Pace? Australia Great Has A Solution https://artifex.news/how-to-tackle-mayank-yadavs-fiery-pace-australia-great-has-a-solution-5366622/ Wed, 03 Apr 2024 12:47:55 +0000 https://artifex.news/how-to-tackle-mayank-yadavs-fiery-pace-australia-great-has-a-solution-5366622/ Read More “How To Tackle Mayank Yadav’s Fiery Pace? Australia Great Has A Solution” »

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Lucknow Super Giants fast bowler Mayank Yadav has become the talk of the town after producing brilliant performances against Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. He impressed on his debut with three crucial wickets and against RCB, he was once again the top performer with the ball as he took the important wickets of Cameron Green, Rajat Patidar and Glenn Maxwell. Mayank’s performances has put him in the conversation for a possible spot in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad but former Australian cricket team batter Matthew Hayden came up with a plan to tackle the youngster’s rapid pace.

“One of the things that happens in this competition is that all eye balls, all those great players watching him, they are working out strategies of how they are going to play him. If you bang it on length and the pace is fast, it’s tough to hit. And the way you’ve to play someone of that pace is that you need to allow the ball to come to you. Not try to force it off the front foot or back foot. Just absorb the pressure and the ball will do the rest because of the pace of the delivery,” Hayden said.

Australia cricketer Steve Smith, who was also part of the discussion, also said that the lack of slow deliveries till now is something that batter can look to exploit against Mayank in the future.

“If you look at all those balls, there wasn’t one slower balls there, so you don’t have to worry about that at this stage. He might have it in his armoury, we haven’t seen it yet but you can probably trust to get inside the line or maybe give a bit of room and use the pace and let it come to you,” Smith said.

Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody said that Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Mayank Yadav is in the conversation for the ICC T20 World Cup, which will take place in West Indies/USA from June 1.

A three-wicket haul by Mayank and a barrage of top-class pace bowling destroyed the RCB top order and helped LSG hand the home side their third loss at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday.

Following LSG’s win, Moody said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo that Mayank is in the conversation for the tournament, since it is important to consider the skillsets needed for the tournament during powerplay and death overs.

“He is definitely in the conversation. Whether you take that risk punting on him or not is another conversation because you also need to consider what skillset you need in that reserve fast bowler – is it someone who is a powerplay bowler, or someone who has the ability to bowl at the death, all those subtle skillsets are important when you are talking about a T20 World Cup,” said Moody.

(With ANI inputs)

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“No One Outside Knows…”: Once Called ‘Cheat’, This Australia Great Has Blunt Message For Hardik Pandya https://artifex.news/no-one-outside-knows-once-called-cheat-this-australia-great-has-blunt-message-for-hardik-pandya-5334883/ Sat, 30 Mar 2024 03:42:19 +0000 https://artifex.news/no-one-outside-knows-once-called-cheat-this-australia-great-has-blunt-message-for-hardik-pandya-5334883/ Read More ““No One Outside Knows…”: Once Called ‘Cheat’, This Australia Great Has Blunt Message For Hardik Pandya” »

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Australian star batter Steve Smith has advised Hardik Pandya to simply “block out” the constant jeers and boos the new Mumbai Indians skipper is receiving from spectators at the IPL so far, as they are “all irrelevant”. Hardik, who replaced five-time IPL-winning captain Rohit Sharma as skipper this season, had a dismal start to his captaincy tenure as MI suffered back-to-back defeats.

On top of the two losses, the former Gujarat Titans skipper was booed by fans at Ahmedabad and Hyderabad — the venue of MI’s first two matches — as they were clearly not happy with the way Rohit was removed from captaincy.

“I’d try and just say, to block it out, it’s all irrelevant,” Smith, who has faced abuse from fans across the world for his role in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town, told ESPNcricinfo.

“No one outside knows what you are going through. No one (from outside) is in that change room.” Smith, who was called “cheat” by fans during the 2019 ODI World Cup in England, feels all these abuse will come as a big surprise for Hardik as he is getting it from his Indian fans at home.

“Personally, for me, it doesn’t bother me. I don’t care. I don’t pay any attention,” said Smith, who had to resign as Rajasthan Royals captain in 2018 after the ball-tampering scandal.

“You know it’s all white noise, but certainly players do hear things and everyone’s entitled to their own emotions and how they respond to those.

“So is it affecting him (Hardik)? Maybe. It’s possible. He probably hasn’t experienced that before in, in any walk of life.

“So it’s natural, I suppose, and particularly being in India and a star Indian player, to be in that position where some fans are booing you, it’s certainly something he wouldn’t have experienced.”

Hardik had led Gujarat Titans to IPL title triumph in their maiden season in 2022 after he was released by Mumbai Indians.

However, last November, he returned to Mumbai Indians via a monetary trade and was soon made the captain, replacing Rohit, which did not go down well with the Indian captain’s fans.

“Hardik is in the middle of a challenging time, losing the first two games their IPL season. It’s a big one for him,” said Smith, who had replaced MS Dhoni as captain of now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017.

“He’s filling big shoes with Rohit Sharma, who’s been the most successful captain (with Dhoni) in IPL history, lifting five titles, and it hasn’t started well for him.”

MI will face Rajasthan Royals on April 1 next at home and Smith is waiting to find out how Hardik is received by the local fans at the Wankhade Stadium.

“So he’s under a little bit of pressure at the moment and it’ll be interesting to see what the reception’s like in their first home game at Wankhede in a couple of days’ time.

“We have heard a few boos going around at the grounds, which… that’s been disappointing from my aspect. But I’m intrigued to see what the reception’s like in Mumbai. We know how big a star Rohit is and how much he is loved inside that stadium.”

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“There’s No One Better In India”: Steve Smith’s Sensational Praise For MS Dhoni https://artifex.news/theres-no-one-better-in-india-steve-smiths-sensational-praise-for-ms-dhoni-5330038/ Fri, 29 Mar 2024 05:47:21 +0000 https://artifex.news/theres-no-one-better-in-india-steve-smiths-sensational-praise-for-ms-dhoni-5330038/ Read More ““There’s No One Better In India”: Steve Smith’s Sensational Praise For MS Dhoni” »

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MS Dhoni in action for CSK during IPL 2024© AFP

Australian batter Steve Smith on Thursday showered praise on former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni saying there’s no one in India who is better than the 42-year-old. Speaking on Star Sports, Smith said no one read a cricket match like MS Dhoni. The Aussie batter added that it was ‘tremendous’ to share field with the former India skipper. “There’s no one better in India to have behind the stumps than MS Dhoni. The way he understands the game and the angles of the game is second to none. So look, he was a tremendous person to play with. I really enjoyed his company on and off the field,” Smith said. Smith also called Dhoni a ‘chilled’ guy. The Aussie revealed that the 42-year-old helped him a lot with cricket.

“He’s such a chilled guy, obviously extremely busy with loads of things outside the game, but extremely chilled down to earth and a wonderful person. There were many occasions where MS was fantastic. You know, I really enjoyed playing with him. I enjoyed leading him as well. He certainly helped me out,” he added.

Ahead of the season opener of IPL 2024 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Chepauk Stadium, the Chennai-based franchise announced that Ruturaj Gaikwad would take over the responsibilities from the 42-year-old.

The announcement marked the end of Dhoni’s long reign at the helm of CSK, during which he led Chennai to five IPL crowns.

CSK had a great start to the IPL 2024 season as they clinched two consecutive wins in their opening games after beating Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT).

The Chennai-based franchise are currently standing at the top of the IPL 2024 standings with four points by their name.

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“I’ve Been On The Opposition When He…”: Steve Smith On Virat Kohli’s T20 World Cup Selection https://artifex.news/ive-been-on-the-opposition-when-he-steve-smith-on-virat-kohlis-t20-world-cup-selection-5274469/ Thu, 21 Mar 2024 17:17:50 +0000 https://artifex.news/ive-been-on-the-opposition-when-he-steve-smith-on-virat-kohlis-t20-world-cup-selection-5274469/ Read More ““I’ve Been On The Opposition When He…”: Steve Smith On Virat Kohli’s T20 World Cup Selection” »

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File photo of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith

Does Virat Kohli have a future in India’s T20 World Cup team? While experts may differ over the batting stalwart’s future in the shortest format of the game, veteran Australia batter Steve Smith only had good things to say. Sharing his own experience of being in the opponent teams as Virat Kohli produced some of his finest performances, Smith revealed how Kohli tends to excel under pressure and deliver masterclass performances time and again. For Smith, there’s no doubt that Kohli remains one of the finest batters in the world.

“He plays the situation. Some wickets you play on, your strike rate doesn’t need to be high. You play according to what’s in front of you. We have seen Virat play some masterclass innings and get his team over the line, whether it has been RCB or India. I’ve been on the opposition in the Australian team when he has done this against us on numerous occasions,” Smith told Star Sports.

For Smith, there’s no doubt that Kohli should be a part of India’s T20 World Cup team as he is the sort of player who knows how to handle pressure situations.

“What we know is that he plays extremely well under pressure. He loves that. It’s those players who you want in your team when you go into the World Cup and face pressure situations. You want the experienced players who stand up in those situations, and Virat is certainly one of those,” said the Australian batter further.

Having not played much T20 cricket since the conclusion of the last World Cup, Kohli would need to prove his worth to the selectors with a superlative show for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. With the opening slots in the Indian team already sealed, it would be interesting to see if Virat reinvents himself in another role for RCB.

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Steve Smith: Is The ‘Best Since Bradman’ On Decline, A Look Into Numbers https://artifex.news/steve-smith-is-the-best-since-bradman-on-decline-a-look-into-numbers-5161720/ Sat, 02 Mar 2024 11:06:20 +0000 https://artifex.news/steve-smith-is-the-best-since-bradman-on-decline-a-look-into-numbers-5161720/ Read More “Steve Smith: Is The ‘Best Since Bradman’ On Decline, A Look Into Numbers” »

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Star Australian batter Steve Smith has not been having best of the times as an opening batter, as his downward slump continued during the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington. During the first Test, he was dismissed for 31 in 71 balls by Matt Henry and then later for a three-ball duck in the second inning by Kiwi skipper Tim Southee. This has added to Smith’s lean run that started just during the start of the new ICC World Test Championship cycle.

Is opening really an ideal spot for Smith? Have we seen the best of this maestro in white clothing? One needs to dive into statistics.

Ever since opening, Smith has registered scores of 12, 11*, 6, 91*, 31 and 0, which equals to 151 runs in six innings at an average of 37.75. Though the sample size is really short, Smith still has not looked at his best while opening.

Coming to his overall Test numbers since the start of the WTC cycle 2023-25, they have been pretty underwhelming for someone who is really well the measuring stick to define consistency and greatness in Tests. In 11 Tests under the new cycle, Smith has scored just 718 runs across 22 innings at an average of 37.78, with just a century and four fifties. His best score is 110.

Though he is still the fourth-highest run-getter in the current cycle, he has been outscored by England’s Zak Crawley (808 runs in nine matches at an average of 47.52), Usman Khawaja (916 runs in 11 matches at an average of 43.61) and most recently India’s young opening sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal (971 runs in eight Tests at an average of 69.35).

During this period, Smith has often failed to make most of his fine starts, often failing in 30s and 40s or without converting a half-century into a century. Also, this whole time, Smith’s strike rate has been 50.42, lower than his career strike rate of 53.54. His average has taken a hit as well, going down to 57.52 from 60.04 just after his match-winning ton in the ICC World Test Championship final against India.

The 34-year-old batter’s peak years from 2014 to 2019, during which he transitioned from a potential leg spin bowling great to the ‘Best Since Don Bradman’ in Tests, are some of the greatest for a player in the longer format. In this time period, Smith scored 6,194 runs in just 56 Tests and 99 innings at an average of 72.02, with 24 centuries and 23 fifties. His best score was 239. During these years, his strike rate was 56.92.

Since January 1, 2020 though, Smith’s Test numbers have declined sharply, scoring 2,501 runs in 36 Tests at an average of 46.31, with six centuries and 13 fifties in 63 innings. His best score is 200*. Though these numbers are still dream-like for any other world-class batter, it just does not seem enough for Smith. The batter’s strike rate in this period has gone down to 48.42.

Smith’s average has gone down drastically since the Ashes of 2019, which is arguably the last time he dropped an all-time great campaign during a big tournament/series. During the time of completion of his fourth appearance, Smith averaged 64.56, which has dropped to 57.52 now, a big drop of around seven runs in five years.

Coming to all-time great campaigns, it has been a while since Smith has set the cricketing world ablaze with an all-time great campaign in a big bilateral series or an ICC tournament.

Since 2022-23, this has been Smith’s numbers during big tournaments/big series:

Ashes 2021-22: 244 runs in five matches at an average of 30.5, with two fifties.

Border Gavaskar Trophy: 145 runs in four matches at an average of 29, with the best score of 45.

Ashes 2023: 373 runs in five matches at an average of 37.30, with a century and two fifties in 10 innings.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: 302 runs in 10 matches at an average of 33.55, with two fifties in 10 innings.

Is the best of Smith past him or will he be able to rediscover his Midas touch with the home Border-Gavaskar Trophy series coming around late this year? Only time will tell.

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New Zealand vs Australia Live Score Updates 1st Test Day 1 https://artifex.news/new-zealand-vs-australia-live-score-updates-1st-test-day-1-5145004/ Wed, 28 Feb 2024 18:30:58 +0000 https://artifex.news/new-zealand-vs-australia-live-score-updates-1st-test-day-1-5145004/ Read More “New Zealand vs Australia Live Score Updates 1st Test Day 1” »

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1st Test, Day 1 Live: Tim Southee and Pat Cummins pose with the trophy.© X (Twitter)

NZ vs AUS, 1st Test Day 1 Live Updates: New Zealand will take on Australia in the first Test of a two-match series at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. Australia have confirmed their playing XI for the series opener, while the hosts will make a late call on their final spot due to Devon Conway‘s injury. Conway was ruled out of the series with Henry Nicholls replacing him in the squad. There has been rain in the lead up to the match, but clear and cool conditions in Wellington are expected. (Live Scorecard)

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Australia’s Predicted XI vs New Zealand, Cricket World Cup 2023: Will Travis Head Make The Cut? https://artifex.news/australias-predicted-xi-vs-new-zealand-cricket-world-cup-2023-will-travis-head-make-the-cut-4519920/ Fri, 27 Oct 2023 11:44:17 +0000 https://artifex.news/australias-predicted-xi-vs-new-zealand-cricket-world-cup-2023-will-travis-head-make-the-cut-4519920/ Read More “Australia’s Predicted XI vs New Zealand, Cricket World Cup 2023: Will Travis Head Make The Cut?” »

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Five-time champions Australia will face New Zealand in Match 27 of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. The match will be played at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Saturday. Australia found themselves in a spot of bother early on in the tournament with two consecutive defeats to begin their tournament, but they are now on course with three big wins on the trot. It all began with a hard-fought win against Sri Lanka, where they had their moments of struggle but emerged triumphant.

They followed it up with a blistering batting performance against Pakistan and Netherlands. David Warner scored centuries in both these games to put Australia in the driver’s seat, while Mitchell Marsh scored his second ODI ton against Pakistan and Glenn Maxwell broke the record for the fastest century in World Cup cricket against the Netherlands.

Australia’s 309-run win against the Dutch is now the biggest win in World Cup history and the second-biggest win of all time in the format. This also boosted their net run rate significantly and in pursuit of a top-four spot, the Aussies currently find themselves in a very good position.

New Zealand’s incredible start to the tournament was curbed by a defeat to hosts India in Dharamsala. Now, the Kiwis have an opportunity to fight back and return to winning ways at the same venue, but the path will not be smooth sailing. So far, New Zealand have picked up four wins – against England, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Here’s our predicted XI of Australia for this Trans-Tasman encounter

Openers: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh

David Warner is among the leading run-scorers in the ongoing tournament, scoring 332 runs in five matches. This tally includes two centuries, which have come in the last two matches. He is also batting at an impressive strike-rate of 109.93, providing solid starts to the team in the powerplay overs.

Mitchell Marsh has been a hit-and-miss as an opener ever since he took up that duty in the absence of Travis Head. However, he smashed a terrific century against Pakistan in Bengaluru, taking his run-tally to 189 runs, which includes another half-century as well.

Middle order: Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis

Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne are an ideal choice for the No. 3 and No. 4 positions, as both batters are capable of switching gears. Smith, despite getting only one half-century in the tournament, has looked in good touch whenever he came out to bat. Labuschagne scored 183 runs in five knocks and he too has scored one half-century.

Josh Inglis has shown some destructive signs batting in the lower middle order. Although he scored only 90 runs in four matches until now, his attacking intent is exactly what the team needs from him.

All-rounders: Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis

Glenn Maxwell was chipping in with some top performances with the ball, making great use of the slow conditions in India. However, against the Netherlands, he unleashed his quintessential best, smashing a 40-ball century after coming in to bat in the 40th over. He has so far contributed 155 runs at a strike-rate of 143.51 and picked up three wickets at an economy of 4.40.

Marcus Stoinis’ role after the losses to India and South Africa has been minimal, but the opposition will be wary of his strength, especially with the bat. Stoinis has proven himself as a big-match player in the past and Australia will bank on him for that one big contribution which usually comes at a crucial juncture.

Bowlers: Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa

Skipper Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have not been at their best in the ongoing tournament. Both bowlers picked up six wickets each and haven’t looked threatening enough with the new ball, thus conceding some early advantage to the opponents. However, both are in the top three of the ICC ODI rankings for bowlers and are proven match-winners.

Adam Zampa was off to a poor start, but lately, he has been spearheading their spin department, as he was expected to on these spinner-friendly conditions. He has picked up 13 wickets at an average of 17.76 and an economy just short of six. Mitchell Starc, a bonafide star at the World Cup with 50+ in the tournament history, added seven to his tally so far in India.

Australia’s Predicted Playing XI

David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa

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Cricket World Cup 2023: Embattled Australia Take On Stuttering Sri Lanka In Battle To Re-Discover Winning Touch https://artifex.news/embattled-australia-take-on-stuttering-sri-lanka-in-battle-to-re-discover-winning-touch-4482576/ Sun, 15 Oct 2023 06:43:01 +0000 https://artifex.news/embattled-australia-take-on-stuttering-sri-lanka-in-battle-to-re-discover-winning-touch-4482576/ Read More “Cricket World Cup 2023: Embattled Australia Take On Stuttering Sri Lanka In Battle To Re-Discover Winning Touch” »

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Their house in complete disarray after consecutive defeats, Australia will look to wake up from their slumber and return to winning ways against an equally stuttering Sri Lanka in the World Cup in Lucknow on Monday. Both teams are in search of their maiden win in the tournament. While Australia suffered humiliating losses against India and South Africa, Sri Lanka faltered against the Proteas and Pakistan. Australia have looked like a pale shadow of their dominant selves in this tournament.

The five-time champions sit ninth in the 10-team league table owing to their horrendous Net Run Rate (-1.846), while the Lankans are 7th on the table with a NRR of -1.161.

The Aussies desperately need to get their act together if they want to keep their fate in their own hands.

But it is easier said than done. Australia have lost seven of their last eight ODIs comprehensively.

During this tournament, they have performed poorly in all three departments of the game. The Men from Down Under have been uncharacteristically sloppy in the field.

The Australians have dropped a whopping six catches in two games — the most by any team so far in this edition of the World Cup.

Their bowling attack has also looked toothless. They have failed miserably with the bat, suffering mini-collapses, and are yet to cross 200 runs. They were rocked by India’s spin bowling in the opener and then by the South African pacers.

But facing the battered and bruised Sri Lankan bowling attack could be the perfect opportunity for the Australian batters to find some form.

The Australians are also familiar with the Ekana pitch having trained in the city for close to a week and played against South Africa here.

Skipper Pat Cummins had insisted earlier this week that they won’t be rotating their bowlers which means Australia will stick to their three-pronged pace attack of Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc with Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell sharing spin duties.

Sri Lanka too have underperformed at the mega event so far. They occupy the seventh spot on the points table.

While their batting line-up has done reasonably well, putting up scores in excess of 320 in both the previous games, their bowling is an area of concern.

In the absence of several frontline bowlers, Sri Lanka’s relatively inexperienced bowling attack has conceded a whopping 775 runs in their first two matches.

The Lankans looked on course to register their first win against Pakistan, but the inexperience of youngsters like 20-year-old Matheesha Pathirana came to the fore as the former champions couldn’t stop leaking runs that resulted in a World Cup record run chase.

With skipper Dasun Shanaka ruled out of the tournament due to a thigh injury, Kusal Mendis will lead the Island nation.

Chamika Karunaratne who is a like-for-like replacement for Shanaka will bolster the bowling attack and is expected to play on Monday.

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.

Sri Lanka:Kusal Mendis (c), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha, Chamika Karunaratne.

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First Steve Smith, Now Naveen-ul-Haq: Virat Kohli Asking Fans To Stop Mocking Shows Magnanimity https://artifex.news/first-steve-smith-now-naveen-ul-haq-virat-kohli-asking-fans-to-stop-mocking-shows-magnanimity-4474675/ Thu, 12 Oct 2023 15:40:13 +0000 https://artifex.news/first-steve-smith-now-naveen-ul-haq-virat-kohli-asking-fans-to-stop-mocking-shows-magnanimity-4474675/ Read More “First Steve Smith, Now Naveen-ul-Haq: Virat Kohli Asking Fans To Stop Mocking Shows Magnanimity” »

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In 2019, Virat Kohli had also defended Steve Smith after fans were mocking him.© X (Twitter)

Star India pacer Virat Kohli and Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq put their recent differences behind them with a warm embrace during their World Cup 2023 match in Delhi on Wednesday. Earlier this year, Kohli and Naveen were involved in a war of words during an IPL 2023 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants. Following the aftermath of that incident, Naveen was often targetted by fans with pro-Kohli chants wherever he has played in India.

While many had expected another face-off between the two players, Kohli and Naveen made sure that there were no more controversy for the viewers.

Naveen ran up to Kohli for a hand shake in the middle of India’s successful chase at New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium, before the two shared a hug and smile.

Notably, this came after Kohli urged the crowd not to target Naveen by chanting his name. Naveen acknowledged the same and went on to shake hands with him.

After the match, Kohli and Naveen were seen having a chat.

For the record, this isn’t the first time that Kohli has asked the crowd not to target a player.

During the 2019 World Cup in England, Kohli’s sportsmanship was also on display after he asked the fans not to mock Australia star Steve Smith.

For instance, Smith was banned from cricket for a year over his involvement in a ball tampering scandal.

Smith was playing his first tournament since the incident, and was greeted by the fans with loud jeers and boos.

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“They Had The Wicket To…”: Steve Smith’s Blunt ‘Spinners Remark’ After Australia’s Loss Against India In World Cup Opener https://artifex.news/they-had-the-wicket-to-steve-smiths-blunt-remark-on-australias-loss-against-india-in-world-cup-opener-4463432/ Mon, 09 Oct 2023 07:43:28 +0000 https://artifex.news/they-had-the-wicket-to-steve-smiths-blunt-remark-on-australias-loss-against-india-in-world-cup-opener-4463432/ Read More ““They Had The Wicket To…”: Steve Smith’s Blunt ‘Spinners Remark’ After Australia’s Loss Against India In World Cup Opener” »

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Bowled out for 199 in their high-profile World Cup opener, Steve Smith admitted that the Australian batters failed to get on top of the Indian spinners on a tacky Chepauk surface. Opting to bat first in a surprise move, Australia were sitting pretty at 110 for two before left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (3/38) triggered a collapse with his triple blows in the middle overs. The total proved to be too less as India romped home with six wickets and nine overs to spare for a fine start to the tournament.

“All their spinners bowled really nicely. Obviously, they had the wicket to suit as well,” Smith said in the mixed zone.

“It was challenging against the spin since they are all very quality spinners. They really worked well together, and we struggled to get on top of them.” Besides Jadeja, wrist spinner Kuldeep picked up two wickets while there was one wicket for Ravichandran Ashwin.

In reply, India rode on Virat Kohli’s 85 and KL Rahul’s unbeaten 97-run knock to complete the task in 41.2 overs, having recovered from 2/3 in the second over.

Smith credited Kohli and Rahul for their batting.

“It was game on. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take it. Virat and Rahul played with a lot of composure. They played really smart cricket,” Smith told reporters.

“It wasn’t a kind of wicket where you could just muscle it and hit boundaries everywhere. Since they were chasing only 200, they could take a bit more time, just play themselves in, which they probably needed to after being three down early on and build a partnership that they did really well.” Talking about the challenge, he said that it was a tricky wicket to bat on, while bowling under the lights with the dew around made it tough.

“It was a challenging wicket, and we also saw a fair bit of spin taking place, along with a bit of movement for the seam bowlers off the cracks. So, obviously, it was difficult.

“200 was a little bit under par. Had we gone up and posted 250, we would have been in for an interesting game.

“Obviously, the dew came in the evening, making it a bit easier to bat. We can’t predict it, but we had three early wickets and also could have had possibly a fourth.” Smith was the top-scorer for the Aussies, making a 71-ball 46.

About his batting, he said, “I thought I was playing quite nicely. I had to sort of work my way through to keep the runs coming on this track.

“Felt like I was moving along nicely, hitting a few nice drives to the fast bowlers and spinners. But, unfortunately, failed to make a bigger one.” Up next for Australia will be South Africa, who got off to a blazing start with a 102-run thrashing of Sri Lanka in Delhi, having posted a record total of 428 for five.

Smith remarked that while the Lucknow wicket will be an unknown territory for them since they haven’t played there in the past, they have plenty of options in the team to pick the right playing XI.

“They (Proteas) got a good side, and they are confident at the moment. They are playing well, and we watched the game the other day. It looked like a nice surface in Delhi, and they posted a massive total.

“Who knows (about Lucknow’s surface)? It depends on what the surface looks like and how we need to play on that. So, we wait to see till we go there and figure out.

“Yeah, we have a few options that we can go in with. Marcus (Stoinis) is back with the team potentially. So, we have to wait and see how we can fit them in,” he concluded.

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