Steven Smith to fly home early from Sri Lanka
Steven Smith to fly home early from Sri Lanka
Steven Smith, the Australia captain, confirmed on Wednesday (August
24) that he would cut short his tour of Sri Lanka and return home midway
through the ongoing One-Day International series for "a little break"
ahead of a long summer. David Warner will stand in as captain for the
remaining three ODIs, and the two-match Twenty20 International series to
follow.
Australia have a long summer ahead after the T20Is against Sri Lanka, with home clashes against South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan before trips to New Zealand and India early next year. Smith, who captains the side in all three formats, has been rested with an eye on the fixture list
Australia have a long summer ahead after the T20Is against Sri Lanka, with home clashes against South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan before trips to New Zealand and India early next year. Smith, who captains the side in all three formats, has been rested with an eye on the fixture list
We spoke about it (the break) at the start of the Test series," said
Smith. "Obviously South Africa is a big series and a big summer with
Test matches, and a few ODIs in between before we go to India. We talked
about giving me a little a break at some point. So myself, Darren
(Lehmann) and Rod (Marsh), we consulted with other selectors. It took
them a bit of convincing to get me over the line. I hate missing
cricket, but in the long run it'll do me some good."
Smith said he "hoped to be going home with a 2-0" but Sri Lanka eased to an 82-run win in the second ODI in Colombo on Wednesday to level the series 1-1, after Australia won the first clash by three wickets. It came after a 3-0 whitewash in the preceding Test series, and Smith's decision caused a stir among big figures in cricket.
Michael Clarke, the former Australia captain, was among those taking to Twitter to question the move. Clarke tweeted: "In the same breath if Smithy needed a break then he should have flown home after the Test matches not 2x ODIs in."
Mahela Jayawardene, the former Sri Lanka captain, was also not satisfied with how events had unfolded.The decision prompted questions about whether captaining Australia in all three formats was a tiring responsibility, but Smith denied any such suggestions. "I don't think so," he said. "The schedule is obviously busy, nowadays we play a lot of cricket. But I don't feel that's the case at present. I want to take on the role in all three formats and do it to the best of my ability. I know at the moment I've got the backing of the selectors and the people at home. I'll continue to the best of my ability."
It also led to questions about his participation in the Indian Premier League - he played for Rising Pune Supergiants earlier this year, bringing up his maiden T20 ton before an injury ruled him out for the majority of the tournament. Smith said playing in the IPL was a learning experience.
"For me, I've got a lot of time for the IPL. It's been a great learning curve for me," said Smith. "I've learned a lot about the way I play, particularly in white ball cricket. Playing a lot of back-to-back games, you learn a lot about yourself. I've certainly got a lot of time for the IPL in that respect. Obviously captaining Australia is a lot of hard work, takes a lot of time. At some point maybe it could give, but for now, I want to try and play everything I can."
Smith, however, believed Australia had a lot of work to do to improve in the subcontinent. "It's been a disappointing tour. For me as captain, it's been a big learning experience," he said. "It's been incredibly tough. In three Tests, we were outplayed in every game. It's never easy coming to the subcontinent, we have seen that over a long period of time. We've to find a way to be successful in these conditions. We haven't been good enough. There's a lot of work to do. I've been doing a lot of thinking since the last Test match. There's a lot of work to do in the subcontinent, and I'm sure I'll think a lot more over the next couple of weeks while I'm at home as well."
Smith said he "hoped to be going home with a 2-0" but Sri Lanka eased to an 82-run win in the second ODI in Colombo on Wednesday to level the series 1-1, after Australia won the first clash by three wickets. It came after a 3-0 whitewash in the preceding Test series, and Smith's decision caused a stir among big figures in cricket.
Michael Clarke, the former Australia captain, was among those taking to Twitter to question the move. Clarke tweeted: "In the same breath if Smithy needed a break then he should have flown home after the Test matches not 2x ODIs in."
Mahela Jayawardene, the former Sri Lanka captain, was also not satisfied with how events had unfolded.The decision prompted questions about whether captaining Australia in all three formats was a tiring responsibility, but Smith denied any such suggestions. "I don't think so," he said. "The schedule is obviously busy, nowadays we play a lot of cricket. But I don't feel that's the case at present. I want to take on the role in all three formats and do it to the best of my ability. I know at the moment I've got the backing of the selectors and the people at home. I'll continue to the best of my ability."
It also led to questions about his participation in the Indian Premier League - he played for Rising Pune Supergiants earlier this year, bringing up his maiden T20 ton before an injury ruled him out for the majority of the tournament. Smith said playing in the IPL was a learning experience.
"For me, I've got a lot of time for the IPL. It's been a great learning curve for me," said Smith. "I've learned a lot about the way I play, particularly in white ball cricket. Playing a lot of back-to-back games, you learn a lot about yourself. I've certainly got a lot of time for the IPL in that respect. Obviously captaining Australia is a lot of hard work, takes a lot of time. At some point maybe it could give, but for now, I want to try and play everything I can."
Smith, however, believed Australia had a lot of work to do to improve in the subcontinent. "It's been a disappointing tour. For me as captain, it's been a big learning experience," he said. "It's been incredibly tough. In three Tests, we were outplayed in every game. It's never easy coming to the subcontinent, we have seen that over a long period of time. We've to find a way to be successful in these conditions. We haven't been good enough. There's a lot of work to do. I've been doing a lot of thinking since the last Test match. There's a lot of work to do in the subcontinent, and I'm sure I'll think a lot more over the next couple of weeks while I'm at home as well."
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