Michael Clarke: No praise is enough for Steven Smith

Australia captain Michael Clarke couldn’t stop praising Steven Smith for his match-winning ton against India in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Semi-Final, saying that talented batsman would continue scoring big. Full Scorecard: India vs Australia, ICC World Cup 2015 Semi-Final 2 at Sydney

“I can’t speak highly enough for the way he’s [Smith] batting at the moment. He’s showing his class. But most importantly, I think the one thing I’ve learnt through my career is getting into good form and scoring runs is a fantastic feeling, but still, to go to training the next day to work on your game. That’s what makes you a great player, and that’s what I’ve been really proud with Smithy [nickname],” Clarke said at the post match media conference with the man-of-the-match centurion by his side. Blog: India vs Australia ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final

Add Cricket Country as a Preferred Source

Clarke said that he is not one bit surprised with Smith’s form. “I can’t say I’m surprised he’s getting the results he’s getting as he is training hard. He has earned it. I think there’s no doubt that there’s a long, long way to go in his career. There’s a lot more runs to score, but he’s certainly leading the way at the moment. He’s standing up and he’s certainly made the most of the opportunity he’s got at No. 3 in One Day cricket,” Clarke lavished praise on his deputy. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Smith, who was sitting beside him was asked if the Indian bowlers played it into his hands by bowling to his strengths, Smith didn’t agree. “I don’t think so. For me, it was just about giving myself an opportunity to get in, and I got a few freebies early on, a couple of short ones that probably weren’t quite short enough. I got a few boundaries and that really got my innings started. From there, I just tried to play each ball on its merit and I was lucky enough to go at just over run-a-ball. It was nice to have a partnership there with Aaron Finch, as well, to set a foundation for us to go quite hard at the end.” Top 10 fielders in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Smith was also asked about the secret of being able to rotate his strike with effortless ease and he attributed it to the hardwork put at the nets. “I think it’s just doing the same thing in the nets. We face bowlers so much in the nets, you have to try and get your angles right and try, particularly for spinners, baiting the fielders in close to get the ball down to long on or long off, or out to deep square leg or deep point.” Match report: India vs Australia, ICC World Cup 2015

“It takes a lot of practice, obviously, and it’s nice to be able to bat on a wicket like that where the ball is coming on so nicely and you can just play straight through the line,” he said. There was a pat in the back for Mitchell Johnson also for his nine-ball-27 run cameo and then getting the big wickets of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

“Yeah, two crucial wickets, two big prize wickets, aren’t they? I’ve always said Mitchell making runs gives him confidence with the ball. I think tonight was a good example of that. Mitch is Mitch. He’s a class performer, consistently. He probably hasn’t had the standout tournament that everybody expects of him all the time.

“Because he’s such a great performer, you expect him to take five wickets every time he walks out onto that field. But I think he’s done a fantastic job for this team throughout this tournament. Two crucial wickets and I couldn’t be more proud of our bowling unit in general,” said Clarke.

Clarke felt that 320 was enough in the end. “I did think 320 was enough, but I thought our bowlers had to execute very well. India’s batting line-up has been extremely successful throughout this tournament. They’ve got a lot of class, they’ve got a lot of experience in big games, in World Cups, as well. My opinion was we had to try and bowl India out. No matter how many runs we scored, we were going to try and bowl India out.”

The only time that the conference struck a discordant note was when Clarke was asked about his individual form and he repeated exactly what he said at the pre-match presser. “I think I’m doing all right. I think my record is pretty good up against anybody in the world. I think my record holds its place. Yeah, I’m not concerned at all,” his reply said it all. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage