Steve Smith: The plumber who blocked SA’s toilets

Sunday Times

TELFORD VICE, Cape Town

STEVE Smith could be a man who pitches up to do something useful, like unblock a toilet. Or that bloody good bloke who is a friend of your mate’s but who you never have much to say to.

He does not look like someone who should, all things being equal, keep Michael Clarke out of the Australian team. All things, of course, are not equal and the Australian captain will return when he has overcome his hamstring injury.

Neither would SA have imagined that Smith could loom as the single major reason the Australians will return to the No. 1 ODI ranking if they win the last match of the series in Sydney on Sunday.

Considering his flinty batting in Melbourne on Friday, when he was at the crease from the 11th over until the penultimate ball of the match in the 49th to score 104 and guide the Aussies to the victory that clinched the series, Smith also does not look like a man with a hip injury.

But he is, and that may yet keep him from playing on Sunday. That would be a small mercy for a SA team who also put up with Smith scoring an unbeaten 73 in Canberra on Wednesday to win another game for Australia.

Not only does Smith not look like a star, he refuses to sound like one.

“I was just lucky to be there at the other end, knocking them about,” Smith said of sharing a century stand with Matthew Wade in scoring his ton. “It’s nice to be amongst the runs, but as long as Australia’s winning games I’m happy. All my processes feel good.”

But he revealed himself to be Australian after all when he was asked how it felt to take the series away from SA, who like the Aussies fancy themselves as contenders for the World Cup in Australasia in February and March?

“It was very important for us. SA are a very good line-up, and to play the way we have and beat them has been very satisfying for us.”

That said, the series is more about preparing for the World Cup than it is a contest in its own right. Accordingly, Australia’s focus has moved squarely onto their impending test series against India. SA, meanwhile, made four changes for Friday’s game.

One of them was forced - Robin Peterson for Imran Tahir, who has sprained a knee - while leaving out Rilee Rossouw is hardly a surprise. But not often when a series is on the line will SA opt not to unleash Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, like they did on Friday.

Of those who played in their places, Kyle Abbott is the most deserving of a game on Sunday. He does not look like a man who has come to unblock a toilet. He looks like a winner, and even if that does not matter anymore in this series anymore SA could do with remembering what that feels like without having to bowl to Steve Smith.