Steve Smith has had a turbulent time recently. He was initially excluded from the Australian team for the T20 World Cup, despite performing well in the BBL. Just before the match against Sri Lanka, he was called up to replace injured captain Mitchell Marsh, but he still did not play. This has been the recent story of Steve Smith.
Reports indicate that he was in Adelaide when he received the call to join the Australian team. He was quickly flown to Colombo and then to Kandy for the match against Sri Lanka. However, unexpectedly, the in-form batsman was not included in the final lineup.
After Australia’s loss in that match, which eliminated them from the tournament, they had one last game against Oman. Many anticipated this would be Smith’s opportunity, but he was overlooked again. Instead, Cameron Green was selected, even though he had only scored 24 runs in the World Cup up to that point.
Why Was Smith Included in the Squad?
To provide some context, just a month earlier, Smith scored 299 runs for Sydney Thunder, with an average of 60 and a strike rate of 168. Although the team might not have been focused on the Oman match, questions remain about why he was not played against Sri Lanka. If he was brought in as a backup, why didn’t he feature in the game?
These confusing decisions seem to have contributed to Australia’s early exit from the tournament, including a loss to Zimbabwe. Now, it’s crucial for the team management to speak with this cricketing icon and clarify his future in the format after they return home.
