‘They didn’t shut up’: The moment Smith’s antics backfired

Steve Smith‘s usual antics have come back to bite him, with one interaction picked up by the stump mic providing an insight into Bangladesh’s mindset.

Australia were dominated in the first Test against the world’s ninth-ranked team, losing by nine wickets to the Tigers in what was described as an “unacceptable” and “embarrassing” result for the powerhouse cricketing nation.

Advertisement

Smith was far from the issue with bat in hand – he was the rare shining light in the first innings knock of 71, before scoring 44 in the Aussies’ second dig.

But it was his run-in with Litton Das that showed the Bangladesh players were up to the task and weren’t going to shy away from challenging Smith.

After the visitors appealed for a caught behind, Smith sarcastically urged them to burn a review, knowing he had missed the ball.

“Use it. Go on. Do it. Go on, use it,” the Aussie batter was heard saying.

“Waste another one (review). Do what you want. Do your thing.”

Das, the veteran Tigers keeper, told Smith to “just bat” and stop talking, to which the right-hander replied: “I’ll do what I want. I can do what I want.”

The incident won’t be a surprise to cricket fans, given Smith is always finding ways to get himself in the contest and engage with rival players or the crowd.

Advertisement

A lot of the time, it pays off – his stoush with England quick Jofra Archer during last summer’s Ashes series a prime example – but this time, it backfired.

Not too long after the exchange with Das, the 37-year-old chipped a delivery back to Bangladesh spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz and was dismissed.

“I reckon Bangladesh were up for the contest,” former Australian bowler Brendon Julian said on the Fox Cricket coverage.

“There was a little bit of a confrontation. I think Steve Smith tried to get into the game with a little bit of confrontation.”

Advertisement

Advertisement

David Warner, a long-time teammate of Smith’s at international level, said the exchange prompted Bangladesh to fire up more than they already were.

“Once Litton Das had that little run in with Steve Smith, they didn’t shut up for the rest of the innings. It was unbelievable,” Warner said.

“They believed in themselves. They were hungry.”

Advertisement

Kerry O’Keeffe said the Bangladesh players “didn’t take a backwards step” and the Smith incident showed how much internal belief they felt.

It was a stunning turnaround for the cricket minnows, who in the lead-up to the Test were bowled out for 54 in a warm-up game against a Cricket Australia XI.

In their previous Test match earlier this year, Bangladesh fell to Zimbabwe – who sit below them on the ICC rankings – by an innings and 85 runs.

The second Test between Australia and Bangladesh begins on Saturday in Mackay.

Click here to read article