London: Steve Smith, an Australian celebrity batter, has outperformed various Test cricket icons over the years. With his unconventional posture, on-field mannerisms, excellent hand-eye coordination, and strokeplay, he has driven miles ahead of the competition to become this generation's best Test batsman, rivalled by only a few other superstars.
While Smith has been a delight to view on his native soil, he has performed equally well in England. He feels at home at the stadiums where his greatest rivals grew up and formed their careers as athletes, like no other. His understanding with English circumstances is so strong that he might easily be mistaken for an English player if it weren't for the Australian flag on his shirt and his great stature in the game.
In 22 Tests in England, Smith has amassed 2,255 runs at an average of 55. 00, including eight century and nine half-centuries. His greatest score is 215. Smith's repertoire of England classics spans hours, including twin century in Birmingham in 2019 and two double century in this country.
What is impressive is that Smith has outperformed not only several legends, but the entire South African squad traveling for the World Test Championship (WTC) final combined. Despite the fact that nine of the 15 SA players flying to the United Kingdom have batted in English conditions, they have yet to come close to his total, with a combined 771 runs.
As a group of established batters, Aiden Markram (two matches, three innings, 36 runs), captain Temba Bavuma (four matches, eight innings, 257 runs, two fifties), Ryan Rickelton (one match, two innings, 19 runs), Kyle Verreyne, the wicketkeeper-batter (three matches, five innings, 61 runs), Wiaan Mulder (one match, two innings, 17 runs), and Marco Jansen (two matches, three innings, 82 runs) have failed to contribute significantly in English conditions, scoring 472 runs in 23 innings with just two half-centuries.
The remaining runs were scored by Kagiso Rabada (six matches, 11 innings, 133 runs), Keshav Maharaj (seven matches, 13 innings, 162 runs), and Lungi Ngidi (two games, three innings, four runs). Only two half-centuries have been made by the current team in England in 50 innings.
To put it simply, the batting unit has failed to make an impression in England, with the exception of Bavuma.
Will this lack of runs haunt the Proteas again in the final, or will some of these players step up to fill the enormous gap?
