Steve Smith with submission partner Cheteshwar Pujara. Photo: PA/Mike Egerton. 30 was a modest and inconspicuous debut innings in the county championship. Neither triumphant nor disastrous, it was not a decisive contribution, like that of another Sussex superstar, Indian Cheteshwar Pujara, who lived his second century in a row.
But this does not mean that Smith's 79-minute stay passed without incident . On the contrary, in fact. Splitting 61 with Pujara, he attracted the attention of the referees, who informed them that they were wearing helmets that did not comply with ECB rules, and a 10-minute delay ensued. Smith didn't have any points at the time, but soon he was hitting cool milestones using extra cover and without his pads, only to be stopped in his path by one of England's brightest young bowlers, Josh Tong.
Throughout his long and eventful career, Smith has been so exhilarated that his emotions are usually easy to read, and given his reaction, it's fair to assume that he would have reconsidered the referee's weight decision if it was a Test match. He could get a reprieve; he was, perhaps, both tall and with a slight side, but he was not a howler.The language doesn't care. He has sacked international players before, including Hashim Amla and Ross Taylor, but it was the biggest scalp of his career, rising sharply from injuries so debilitating that he considered retirement. He also added Pujara to his list of targets, albeit at a high cost.
At 25 and seven years of his first-class career, he seems to have matured beautifully. Tong was the standout seamstress on the England Lions tour of Sri Lanka this year and is considered by good judges in positions of power to be the best capless red ball bowler on the course. He's tall, serves the ball well and has an easy style that made Smith uncomfortable even before he was fired, with foul shots and plays and a miss.
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There was once a time when Smith's dismissal embarrassed England so much that they might consider parachuting any bowler who had success against him onto their side for the Ashes' first test. While we might see Tongue in an England jersey at some stage, that's unlikely to happen this summer because their famous bowlers are currently in surprisingly good shape. including ostentatious leaves and many fidgets, but his technique is more orthodox these days. He joined Pujara for just the second over of the day and it's hard to believe that the Second Division partnership this season will have more pedigree than No. 4 and No. 5 Sussex.
Worcestershire live streaming views skyrocketed, global interest sparked by great international contenders, a total of 49 test centuries battling together for the first time in a beautiful English venue. Unfortunately, shortly after they got together, there was a delay when the judges showed interest in the helmets they were wearing. The 12th man was ordered to bring in the stem guards, the clips that protect the batsman's neck, and as the small but active crowd waited, they voiced their dissatisfaction with a few slow handclaps and groans.
Barrel guards became common after Philip Hughes died from a blow to the neck in 2014, but despite suffering a concussion himself, Smith didn't always wear them. In 2019, he described how the extra protection made him feel «claustrophobic» like he was «stuck in an MRI machine» and caused his «heart rate to go up about thirty or forty [beats per minute].»
Even though they are not mandatory internationally, ECB rules require all domestic players to wear a full face helmet. That Pujara needed to be reminded to wear it was more curious given that it is becoming as much a piece of furniture in Sussex as any Hove lounger.
This is his 12th county match , and his eighth century (he drew all his half century). Having played himself softly into the evening session with typical ease and elegance, he played the weary Worcestershire bowlers as Sussex built up a first inning lead from 109. Smith remained in the shadows.
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