Steve Smith’s astounding summer ended on a sour note but the skipper has vowed to continue leading Australia’s slumping One-Day International (ODI) team.
Undoubtedly, the Australian captain’s 2017-18 season will forever be remembered for his herculean man-of-the-series Ashes performance as he spearheaded his team’s successful reclamation of the urn. However, it was a tired and disappointed Smith who fronted the press after his final hit out of the Australian summer.
After a convincing 4-0 Ashes triumph, Australia were soundly beaten 4-1 in the ODI series against England. Australia, perennial powerhouses in the 50-over format, have slumped in ODIs and were outclassed by an emerging England. The World Cup holders have won just two ODIs in the past 12 months.
Smith acknowledged Australia had been well beaten across the series. “We have been outplayed, we haven’t played good enough cricket,” he told reporters after Australia’s 12-run defeat on Sunday (January 28). “The batting collapses have continued, our starting with the ball has not been great. You can’t afford to do that against good opposition like England.
“It’s probably been a year since we have played good one-day cricket and we have a lot of work to do if we want to be a force at the next World Cup,” he added.
In a major letdown during the historic unveiling of Perth Stadium, Australia suffered several batting stumbles to fall 13 runs short of the seemingly middling target of 260. “We haven’t been able to close out games,” Smith said. “We were in a position to chase down 260. If we were being honest with ourselves, we let them back in the game. We are making poor decisions with the bat.”
Despite their struggles, Australia’s ODI lineup appears mainly in shape with the main liabilities during the series being, shockingly, star opener David Warner and Smith. The leaders averaged just over 20 and were unable to stamp their class on the series, in a major reversal from the Ashes.
Smith, in particular, looked jaded at the crease and was lethargic against the spinning ball, which continually proved his undoing. After such a gruelling campaign, Smith finally showed he was human as fatigue seemingly caught up with the master batsman. Conversely, his Ashes counterpart Joe Root seemed rejuvenated without the burden of captaincy during the ODI series.
Smith declared he was still motivated to lead the team in the shorter formats. “I’m happy leading these boys,” he says. “Unfortunately, I haven’t played as well as I would have liked. Me and Davey as the senior leaders haven’t stepped up. That really hurts your team when your senior leaders aren’t scoring the runs.”
Ahead of a crucial Test tour of South Africa, Smith will have a breather and miss the upcoming Twenty20 tri-series also involving New Zealand. But a rest has not been afforded to Warner, who will take the reins as captain.
“I hope he will be okay,” Smith said of Warner. “I’m sure if he’s not he will have a word (with management). South Africa is an important series for us, but so is the Twenty20 series. We have got to play better white ball cricket.
“I’m looking forward to the rest,” he added. “A couple of weeks to refresh and recharge, and get myself ready for a challenging South African tour.”
In a bright spot amid the gloom, emerging allrounder Marcus Stoinis capped a strong series with a hard-hitting 87 in a successful transition up the order. The No.3 position has been a troubled spot in recent times for Australia with Smith preferring to bat at his Test spot of No.4 as they look to pack the top-order with more firepower – mimicking England’s successful ploy.
Stoinis replaced veteran batsman Cameron White, who might have been red stamped after an unconvincing comeback. Even though he starred in Perth, Smith said the flexible Stoinis could perform numerous roles in an indication Travis Head, who played well in the backend of the series up the order, could also be vying for the No.3 spot when regular opener Arron Finch returns from injury.
“I thought he (Stoinis) played well,” Smith said. “It would have been good if he had made a century and get the boys home. The beauty with Marcus is that he can bat anywhere. We have seen him bat really well at the end (of an innings) and use the power he has got. We have got a bit of a luxury with him.”
As per the hectic nature of international cricket, Australia turns their attention to the Twenty20 format and then the much-anticipated Test tour of South Africa. Their next ODI assignment is not until mid-year when they face a re-match against England in the UK.
Quite clearly, after a wretched series, Steve Smith and his underperforming team have plenty of soul searching to do until then.
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