Given his success across different positions, there is optimism that Smith can excel as an opener believes Michael Clarke.
Tag: Steve Smith
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Steve Smith joins Delhi Capitals teammates in Dubai
By ANI
DUBAI: Delhi Capitals’ batsman Steve Smith on Wednesday arrived at the team hotel in Dubai ahead of the second half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
Smith will be in quarantine for six days. The Delhi Capitals will take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, when the IPL 2021 season resumes.
On Tuesday Delhi Capitals’s players who have finished their quarantine period hit the ground running in their pre-season camp under the watchful eyes of assistant coaches Pravin Amre and Ajay Ratra at the ICC Academy.
Amre expressed that the team is looking to get used to the conditions and the wickets in the UAE. “It’s going to be humid when the season resumes and it is important for the players to get used to the wickets and conditions here in the UAE. Credit to the DC management for sending us here early, so that we have enough time to prepare well with the conditions on offer,” said Amre in an official release.
Shreyas Iyer, who missed out on the first half of the season due to a shoulder injury, reached Dubai a week earlier than the rest of the team to work on his game with Amre.
The assistant coach expressed that Iyer has regained his full fitness and is hitting the ball very well in the nets.
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Skipper Steve Smith’s contract not renewed by Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2021
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals have decided against renewing the contract of their high-profile captain Steve Smith ahead of the 14th Indian Premier League this year.Under Smith’s captaincy, the inaugural edition champions RR finished last in the last IPL in the UAE, where the star Australian batsman played all the 14 league matches and scored 311 runs at a strike rate of 131.
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This included three half-centuries, but his contribution as a leader came under the scanner after the team’s forgettable performance. “His contract was up in October 2020, not being renewed,” a franchise source told PTI.
Ahead of the 2018 IPL, Smith was the only player retained by the Royals for Rs 12.5 crore. The same year, the Royals returned from a two-year suspension and appointed Smith as the captain. However, he stepped down from the position in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa ahead of the lucrative league.
Smith recently drew flak for his underwhelming performance in the series against India.