Steve Smith made a stellar return to Test cricket with a remarkable hundred on day 1 of the 1st Ashes Test match at Edgbaston. There were dirt, boos and whatnot, yet the former Australian skipper showcased tremendous resilience to score more than half the runs that the visitors posted in the first innings.
Smith stamps his authority on return
Smith along with Warner returned to Test cricket after serving their respective 12-month bans while Cameron Bancroft was seen in whites for the first time since the “sandpaper” scandal in Cape Town. While Bancroft served a 9-month suspension, Smith and his former deputy were out in the cold for a much longer duration.
Post his sublime knock of 144, Smith revealed that he once questioned himself on whether he wants to continue playing cricket. The cricketer sustained ligament damage right after arriving in Dhaka to participate in the Bangladesh Premier League. He feared missing out on the World Cup and subsequently the Ashes in case he had to undergo a surgery that would have needed him time to nurse.
How Smith lost and found love for cricket again
He later underwent a less intrusive surgery to boost his comeback to international cricket. The urge to play top-tier cricket during that six-week period pushed him to make a return. On Thursday, the 30-year-old plundered 16 boundaries and two maximum as Australia posted 284 runs on the board.
“There were times throughout the last fifteen months where I didn’t know if I was ever going to play cricket again. I lost a bit of love for it at one point, particularly when I had my elbow operation. It was really bizarre, it was the day I got the brace off my elbow (in early March) I found a love for it again.” Smith said after making yet another statement with the bat.
It was like a trigger: Smith
“I don’t know what it was, it was like a trigger that said “I’m ready to go again, I want to play. And I wanted to go out and play for Australia and make people proud, and do what I love doing.” he added.
Smith dispatched anything that was wide and short. He punished an English attack that saw their spearhead pacer James Anderson limp off the field with an injury. From 122/8, Smith took his side to a fighting total. He received vital support from Peter Siddle (44) and Nathan Lyon- who middled the red cherry on more than one occasion.
