Steven Peter Devereux Smith or simply Steve Smith is celebrating his 31st birthday today. Born on June 2, 1989, the ‘modern-day Bradman’ has established himself as one of the finest batsman to have played the game.
Having made his debut in 2010, Smith has seen several highs and has seen his fair share of lows as well.
At 31, he has already captained Australia across all the three formats, won an ODI World Cup, been a top-ranked Test batsman and served a 12-month long ban from international cricket.
10 interesting facts from his career so far
1. Made debut as a legspinner. He caught Australian selector’s attention after finishing as the leading wicket-taker for New South Wales in the KFC T20 2007-08 competition. His international debut was against Pakistan, as a bowler, in a T20I in 2010.
2. A remarkable turnaround. He might have been introduced to fans at the international stage as a bowler but Smith went on to earn fame due to his prowess with the bat. While he seldom bowls today, Smith is a batting mainstay for Australia across formats, often drawing comparisons with the legendary Don Bradman for his insatiable appetite to score runs, especially in Test cricket.
3. He has twice won – 2015 and 2018 – the prestigious Allan Border Medal – an annual award given to the top-performing Australian male cricketer.
4. At the age of 25, Smith became the 45th man to lead Australia in the longest format and also became the youngest captain in their rich Test history.
5. Smith was the hero as Australia won a record-extending fifth ODI world cup title in 2015, top-scoring across the tournament for them with 402 runs in eight matches. He struck one century and four fifties.
6. Brain fade moment. A tour that began with a stunning demolition job of top-ranked India in 2017 spiralled into what is now known as brain-fade moment. Smith put up a memorable show with the bat but the tour is also remembered for him consulting the dressing room to go for DRS. India captain Virat Kohli criticised the move, accusing the tourists of indulging in cheating. It was another matter that Smith returned home with 499 runs across the four-Test series.
7. 2018 will be a year Smith would want to forget. During the Newlands Test against South Africa, Australia opener Cameron Bancroft was caught applying sandpaper to the ball in order to help his bowlers generate swing. The repercussions of the event were far and wide. Smith and David Warner were handed a 12-month ban from all forms of cricket while Bancroft was banned for 10 months. During a tearful press conference upon returning to Australia, Smith took full responsibility of the scandal.
8. Smith is married to Danielle Willis. He announced the news on his social media with the event being a quiet affair.
9. When not playing cricket, Smith loves watching tennis and counts Swiss maestro Roger Federer among his heroes. He can be seen attending matches at the Australian Open. He also is a big horse-racing fan and cop-owns four racehorses.
10. He has been part of five IPL teams including Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Pune Warriors India, Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiants.
