2 Steve Smith

Steven Smith

A career that has seen him transform from being a full-time leg-spinner to one of the best batsmen in modern-day cricket, Steve Smith’s story is one for the ages. Making his first-class debut in 2008, he played for New South Wales against Western Australia. Two years later he was given his Baggy Green in a Test match against Pakistan, where he batted at No.8 and took three wickets as the front-line spinner in Australia’s win. Later dropped from the Australian team due to a poor run at the 2010-11 Ashes, Smith turned to domestic cricket to regain form and confidence. After a recall to the Test side in 2013, he displayed extraordinary improvement, starting with his maiden Test ton at the Oval, later followed by centuries at Perth and Sydney during Australia’s 5-0 whitewash in the 2013-14 Ashes. Smith became Australia’s 45th Test captain during the series against India in 2014-15, filling in for an injured Michael Clarke. It turned out to be a landmark series for him as he went onto post tons in all four Tests. Reaching No.1 in the ICC Test batsman rankings for the first time in June 2015, he was also awarded the Sir Garfield...

Now a vital cog in Australia's batting unit, Smith initially made his name as a bowler - He was New South Wales' leading wicket-taker in the 2007-08 KFC T20 competition.