Steve Smith Height Weight Age Biography Family Wiki Net Worth, Affairs, Marriage & much more.Steven Peter Devereux Smith (born 2 June 1989) is an Australian international cricketer and the current vice-captain of the Australia national cricket team in Tests. He was the former captain of the Australian national team. Smith has drawn comparisons to Donald Bradman, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time, due to his distinctively high Test batting average.
Although he was initially selected for Australia as a right-arm leg spinner, Smith later played primarily as a batsman. After playing five matches from 2010 to 2011, he was recalled to the Australian team in 2013, and took over the captaincy from Michael Clarke in late 2015, after which he predominantly batted at either number 4 or 3.
Awards he has won include the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year) in 2015; ICC Test Player of the Year in 2015 and 2017; ICC Men’s Test Player of the Decade for 2011–2020; the Allan Border Medal for the best player in Australian Cricket in 2015, 2018 and 2021; Australian Test Player of the Year in 2015 and 2018, and Australian One Day International Player of the Year in 2015 and 2021. He was named by Wisden as one of their Cricketers of the Year in the 2016 Wisden Almanack.
In 2014, New Zealand batsman Martin Crowe described Smith as one of the young Fab Four of Test cricket along with Joe Root, Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli. On 30 December 2017, he reached a Test batting rating of 947, the second-highest of all time, only behind Don Bradman’s 961.
In March 2018, Smith was widely criticised for turning a blind eye to ball tampering in the third Test against South Africa, during which he stood down from the team captaincy and was replaced by Tim Paine. Following an investigation by Cricket Australia, Smith was banned from all international and domestic cricket in Australia for one year starting from 29 March 2018, and from consideration for any leadership role for an additional year.
In November 2021, Smith was appointed vice-captain after allegations of improper conduct by Tim Paine in 2017 surfaced. The following month, Smith captained Australia in the second Test of the 2021–22 Ashes series.
Early and personal life
Steve Smith was born on 2 June 1989 in Kogarah, Sydney to an Australian father, Peter, who has a degree in chemistry and an English mother, Gillian. Smith attended Menai High School, and left at age 17 to play cricket in England where he played club cricket for Sevenoaks Vine in the Kent Cricket League. He did so well for Sevenoaks that he was picked to play for Surrey’s second XI.
Because his mother was born in London, Smith has dual British and Australian citizenship. In 2011, Smith started dating Dani Willis, a commerce and law student at Macquarie University. In June 2017, the couple announced their engagement while on holiday in New York. The couple married at Berrima, New South Wales on 15 September 2018.
Steve Smith Height Weight Age Body Statistics Biography
Playing style
Smith is a right-handed batsman with a technique that has attracted attention for its unorthodoxy. He moves around frequently in the crease, especially during bowlers’ run-up, and ends up with the toes of his feet outside off stump against right-handers, controls the bat with his bottom hand (that is, the hand closest to the blade of the bat), and is capable of playing unconventional cricket shots like the reverse sweep. Playing in a club match in January 2010, right-handed Smith took guard left-handed and hit a six.Due to his unorthodox style, Smith was initially labelled as a limited-overs batsman who might struggle in the longer form of the game, especially early in his career when he was vulnerable outside off stump. However, Smith compensates for his unique technique with outstanding hand-eye co-ordination, focus, and his footwork, especially to spin bowlers, is exemplary.Smith spontaneously experimented with his technique during the Perth Test match in the 2013–14 Ashes, during which he decided to take a “prelim movement back and across” to counter short-pitched bowling. This change took his batting average from 33 in 2013 to 64.95 in 2019. As of 2021, it is 61.80. At the time of delivery, Smith’s stumps are fully covered, making bowled dismissals unlikely. This position also allows him to play to either the on or off side with ease.
Youth and domestic career
Smith was a member of the Australian team at the 2008 Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia. In the tournament he scored 114 runs and took seven wickets in four matches.
Smith made his first-class debut for New South Wales against Western Australia at the SCG on 25 January 2008. He scored 33 in his only innings as New South Wales defeated Western Australia outright. He was part of the New South Wales team that won the 2009 Twenty20 Champions League. In the final against Trinidad and Tobago at Hyderabad, Smith made 33 with the bat and took two wickets.
By the end of the 2009–10 domestic season, Smith had a first-class batting average of over 50 after 13 first-class matches. While his first-class bowling average in the high forties was not as impressive, his bowling appeared to be steadily improving following some well-publicised mentoring and praise from Shane Warne. In the final match of the season he took 7 for 64 in the second innings against South Australia.
Big Bash League
Smith made his Twenty20 cricket debut for New South Wales in a match against South Australia at Adelaide on 1 January 2008 during the six team KFC Big Bash competition. Smith was the leading wicket taker at the 2008 Big Bash tournament. He took 4/15 against Queensland and finished with 9 wickets overall. He was also named the second-best player of the tournament. In 2011–12, the Australian T20 competition became the city-based Big Bash League featuring eight teams. Smith joined the Sydney Sixers and filled in as captain when Brad Haddin could not play due to Test duties, subsequently leading the team to victory in the inaugural season. As an all-rounder, he scored 166 runs with the bat from nine matches with a strike rate of 130.71, including one half century. With the ball, he took 6 wickets at an economy rate of 8.06 per over. He also took nine catches throughout the tournament. In the final match, the Sixers beat Perth Scorchers by 7 wickets while chasing down the target of 157 within 18.5 overs after the Scorchers made 5/156 in 20 overs. Smith’s good form during the Big Bash League, attracted the attention of former India Captain Sourav Ganguly, and was recruited to play for the Pune Warriors India team captained by Sourav Ganguly in the 2012 Indian Premier League. Smith had also been made captain of the team in one match, when Ganguly was rested, despite Australian captain Michael Clarke being the vice-captain. He continued to play for the same franchise in 2013, under the captaincy of Angelo Mathews.
Indian Premier League
Smith was first bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for the 2010 Indian Premier League as a replacement for Jesse Ryder. During the 2011 IPL player auction, he was bought by Kochi Tuskers Kerala for $200,000,but he had to have an ankle operation and was not available to play for them that season.
The next season, Kochi Tuskers were dropped from the IPL and Smith was put up for auction. He went unsold at the 2012 IPL Players Auction, but was later bought as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh by the Pune Warriors India. In his first match for his new team, he scored 39 runs off 32 balls to lead his team to victory against the Mumbai Indians. He received the Man of the Match award for this effort.
In the auction for IPL 2014, Smith was bought by Rajasthan Royals for $600,000.Smith was given the captaincy of the Royals in the latter half of the 2015 season and led the team to significant victories, thus ensuring a berth for his team in the play-off part of the tournament.
During the 2016 IPL Auction, Smith was bought by new franchise, the Rising Pune Supergiants for the same price as in the previous auction ($600,000), and struggled early for form. Smith finally broke a run of low scores against Sunrisers Hyderabad, scoring 46*. His form continued as he registered his maiden T20 century against the Gujarat Lions, scoring 101 off 54 balls. He then went on to score a further 45 against the Mumbai Indians, before being ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with a wrist injury.
The Supergiant management axed MS Dhoni as captain and named Smith as captain for the 2017 season. In RPS’s first game against Mumbai Indians, Smith led his team to victory in style, scoring 84* and was rewarded with the Man of The Match award. Three consecutive losses, however, left his team in last position on the points table. A run of 8 wins in 10 matches helped Supergiant finish in the second position, and thus qualify for the playoffs, with Smith receiving praise for his captaincy from renowned cricketers and experts like Sunil Gavaskar and Kevin Pietersen. He led his team to the final with a 20-run victory over Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1. In the final Smith’s men faced Mumbai yet again. He scored 51 off 50 balls but could not lead RPS to victory. Pune lost the match by one run.Smith was RPS’s highest run scorer in the tournament, scoring 472 runs at an average of 39.33, including three fifties.
In February 2018, he was named as captain of Rajasthan Royals for the IPL 2018.However, following his admission of involvement in the Australian test side’s ball tampering controversy in the Third Test in South Africa in March 2018, it was announced by the team that Smith has stood down from that role and Ajinkya Rahane took charge as the new captain for Rajasthan Royals team.
On 28 March 2018, after being banned by Cricket Australia for his involvement in a ball tampering incident, Smith’s player contract with the Royals was terminated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India as Steve Smith and fellow Australian batsman David Warner were banned from playing for their respective teams for the upcoming 2018 IPL edition.
In November 2018, Smith was retained by Rajasthan Royals for the 2019 Indian Premier League. After losing six out of first eight matches of the season, Smith was appointed as the captain of the Rajasthan Royals by replacing Ajinkya Rahane.In the tournament, he scored 319 runs at an average of 39.87, including three fifties.
Records and achievements
Fastest Australian batsman and sixth-fastest batsman in the world to reach 10,000 runs in International cricket.
Fastest batsman to reach 7,000 runs in Tests.
Joint second-fastest batsman (after Don Bradman), youngest Australian and fourth youngest overall to reach 6,000 runs in Tests.
Only the second batsman to score more than 1,000 runs in Test cricket in four consecutive calendar years.
First batsman to register ten successive scores of 50 or more against a single opponent in Test history.
The second-highest Test batting rating (947), behind Don Bradman’s 961, reached on 30 December 2017.
Only player to win the ICC Test Player of the Year award more than once.
Second youngest batsman to top the ICC Test batting rankings.
Joint most consecutive 50+ scores in World Cup history with five such scores in the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
Joint most 50+ scores (four) in Cricket World Cup knockout matches.
During the 2018 Australian tour to South Africa, he equalled the world record by taking five catches as a non-wicketkeeper in a Test innings and was the 11th fielder to achieve this feat.
Youngest player to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year award).
Fastest batsman after Donald Bradman (68 Innings) to reach 25 test centuries (119 Innings).
Fifth player to win the Allan Border Medal more than once.
First cricketer to win the McGilvray Medal four times.
Named as ICC Test batsman of 2010’s.
Awards
Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year): 2015
ICC Test Player of the Year: 2015,2017
ICC Men’s Test Player of the Decade: 2011–2020
ICC Men’s Test Team of the Decade: 2011–2020
ICC Test Team of the Year: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
ICC ODI Team of the Year: 2015
Allan Border Medal: 2015,2018, 2021
Australian Test Player of the Year: 2015, 2018
Australian One Day International Player of the Year: 2015, 2021
Compton–Miller Medal: 2017–18,2019
McGilvray Medal: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Steve Waugh Award: 2009–10, 2011–12
Wisden Cricketers of the Year: 2015