Finch on Smith: From Leg-Spinner to World-Class Batter

New Delhi, October 28: Aaron Finch, the former Australian white-ball captain, has ranked Steve Smith as the finest teammate of his career. Finch says the transformation of Smith from a leg-spinning all-rounder into one of the world's best batters is the product of natural gifts, hard work and an unshakeable commitment to his own way of playing.

Smith started out as a leg-spinner batting at number eight, and was once viewed as a possible heir to Shane Warne. Yet he went on to become the finest Australian batter since Sir Donald Bradman. He rose to the top of the Test batting rankings and captained Australia in every format.

Speaking on Cricinfo's 'Cricketers on Cricketers' programme, Finch described the early perception of Smith. "Steve Smith was originally seen as an option to replace Shane Warne. He batted at eight, bowled some overs of leg-spin and would now and then score runs as a finisher. Then everything changed quite suddenly. He became a superb batter who stunned the world."

Finch observed that Smith had always been a player who worked his hands and moved well in the crease, using his feet actively. "Later he made his game simpler, and everything came together. Early on, the conversation about him was that he was a bowling all-rounder who might become Australia's next big name. Then his Test batting changed in a way he understood very well."

He was full of praise for Smith's move to number four after several years at six and five. "To settle in at number four after batting at six and five for so long was truly exceptional. Among the players I have played with, he is the best. He thinks, 'I'll play this way, and what the outside world sees doesn't matter to me. This is how I'll be most successful.'"

Finch called it a superpower that few others possess. "He does what other players can't do. It's hard to explain why people like me or David Warner couldn't pull off what Smith did. It's a natural talent, but it also comes from his hard work and the time he invests. It's genuinely extraordinary."

Smith's international career was disrupted by the 2018 ball-tampering incident in Cape Town, which resulted in a 12-month ban. He was also prevented from taking on any captaincy or leadership role for two years. Afterwards, he was named vice-captain to current Test captain Pat Cummins.

Finch, who captained Australia to the men's T20 World Cup title in 2021, believes Smith was helped by not having the captaincy burden. He acknowledged that captaining the team was initially hard for him, especially with a right-handed batter of Smith's quality in the side who had no leadership duties.

"When Steve Smith returned to international cricket after the 2018 incident, he was quite relaxed as a player, because obviously he wasn't captain," Finch said. "As captain, a large part of your time goes into matters beyond the game. There's also the mental pressure of completing the preparation you want. You need to work hard on yourself, and you also need to care about the other players."

Finch added that freedom from captaincy after 2018 was probably a major relief for Smith. "He likely thought he only needed to focus on his own game. When he was in the team, captaining was tough for me. I had played under him for years and considered him a superb tactical captain. So I often wondered whether a decision was right and what Smith would make of it. Then one day he said, 'Why do you keep asking me? Make your own decision.'"

Finch also recalled Smith's batting in the 2015 ODI World Cup knockout games, one of his most cherished memories, as Australia won the title on home soil. "One of my favourite memories of playing with Steve Smith is the 2015 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, when he was emerging as a dangerous number three. In the quarter-final against Pakistan, everyone remembers the contest between Wahab Riaz and Shane Watson, but at the other end Steve Smith was batting."

He went on, "It looked as though he was batting against a stump. He made Wahab's bowling seem like medium pace. Then he hit a century off 89 balls in the semi-final against India, and in the final against New Zealand he made 56 not out. He did not look flustered in any of those matches."

Finch concluded, "Knockout stages of a World Cup are the most pressurised matches, but this player batted with complete composure. Negative thoughts about batting never seem to enter his mind. I consider it a hidden strength, because it means he does not carry his previous innings into the next one."