Steve Smith Reflects on Australia's World Cup Opener Loss

Smith acknowledged that his dismissal, which came after he had scored 46 runs off 71 balls was a turning point in the game.

By CX Staff Writer Oct 9, 2023, 14:58 IST

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Steve Smith addressed the media in a post-match press conference following Australia's World Cup opener against India. Smith's thoughts revolved around his dismissal and Australia's performance in the match.

Smith acknowledged that his dismissal, which came after he had scored 46 runs off 71 balls was a turning point in the game. His wicket led to a batting collapse, causing Australia's total to plummet from 110 for 2 to 199 all out. He noted the challenging conditions posed by the pitch, stating that he felt like he was back playing Test cricket due to the nature of the wicket. Losing wickets in succession prevented them from posting a more competitive total, possibly around 250.

Despite the challenging conditions, Smith felt that he was in good form with the bat until his dismissal. He mentioned the need to adapt to the scenario and work through the challenges presented by the pitch. Smith also emphasized the importance of partnerships and believed that extending one more partnership could have resulted in a more defendable total.

Steve Smith Reflects on Australia's World Cup Opener Loss

"Yeah, perhaps [my dismissal was the turning point]," Smith said after Australia lost by six wickets. "I mean you never want to get out. We were trying to take it a little bit deeper, and it was obviously very challenging [on this pitch]. And it was going to be challenging for the guy coming in...We were just trying to take it a little bit deeper and unfortunately felt like I got a pretty good ball from Jadeja. Felt like I was back playing Test cricket. But to lose those wickets in a row probably cost us getting up to around 250."

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When asked about the spin-friendly conditions in Chepauk and how he tackled them, Smith revealed that his approach was to rotate the strike, hit gaps for singles, and wait for loose deliveries to put away. However, he acknowledged that India's quality spin bowlers, including Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and R Ashwin, did not offer many loose balls, making it a challenging task.

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