Steve Smith wins over booing crowd with a beach ball
Steve Smith has been having a rough time of things with the English crowds, but one act at a windy Old Trafford might have won them over -albeit temporarily.
High winds wreaked havoc on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test, with one Stuart Broad over repeatedly delayed by wind blowing chip packets onto the pitch and blowing the bails off the stumps.
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But it was a moment where Smith showed off his skills with the bat from the non-strikers end that elicited maybe the only cheer he’s going to get from the English crowd this year.
Normally accustomed to fending off Jofra Archer’s short balls, Smith found an errant beach ball that had blown on to the pitch much easier to dispatch.
The former captain’s improvised sweep, attempting to bat the ball back towards the crowd, won a roar of approval from the typically hostile Barmy Army.
It wasn’t just the crowd in Manchester that was loving it - fans on social media were quick to crack a few jokes as well.
He can hit them on one knee through cover and as i thought @stevesmith49 sees it like a beach ball pic.twitter.com/Qt9jlAofx5
— Brad Wiedmann (@_BWeed_) September 4, 2019
Steve Smith literally hitting a beach ball to the boundary overnight perfectly sums up his Ashes campaign #gold
— brad davidson (@braddavo) September 4, 2019
Steve Smith hit a beach ball for 4... how good is he
— Macca (@Justflips96) September 4, 2019
#ashes Australia 3/170 at stumps on day 1 of the fourth Ashes test at Old Trafford. Steve Smith 60*, Marnus Labuschagne 67. Stuart Broad 2/35.
The day featured rain and Steve Smith showing he is seeing them well by smacking a beach ball to the boundary.— Feeling Snarky. (@crowdiegal) September 4, 2019
Smith’s beach ball boundary didn’t add to his total of 60 not out at the end of the first day.
The former captain will be joined by Matthew Wade when day two gets underway, with the former wicketkeeper to resume on 18.
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Steve Smith has broken his own record with an eight-consecutive innings of 50-plus runs in the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
An unbeaten Smith is eyeing another ton and remains "one step ahead" of England, having picked up where he left off while marching Australia to 3-170 at stumps on day one.
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Smith, who finished 60 not out after Tim Paine opted to bat on Wednesday, frustrated the hosts with the help of some wet and windy weather.
The start of the post-lunch session, which featured gusts so strong that umpires briefly opted to play without bails because they kept falling off, was delayed by 140 minutes because of heavy rain.
The showers returned at tea, prompting umpires to abandon hope of further play on day one.