Steven Peter Devereux Smith

In a career of twists and turns, Steven Smith started as a legspinner and became Australia's best batsman since Sir Donald Bradman, before being stripped of the captaincy and banned for 12 months after his career was derailed by a ball-tampering scandal. .

The rise from that controversy at Newlands in 2018 was almost miraculous: Smith returned to Test cricket with a 774-run Ashes series in 2019, and the image of him crying at Sydney airport after returning from South Africa in humiliation was replaced in popular memory with a century-winning celebration. Part of his punishment for Cape Town was a two-year ban from any leadership position, but once he served that penance, he was named vice-captain to Pat Cummins at the end of 2021 and led the side against England a few weeks later when Cummins was An exam has been canceled due to covid.

Smith began his Test career in 2010 as a legspinner batting at number 8; When he was named Australia's captain five years later, he was the world's number one Test batsman and not much more than an occasional bowler. His talent was evident early on, but as a young batter he had more moving parts than an orchestra - only, they didn't always work in harmony. He went away and worked on his game and returned to the Test team two years later with a stricter strategy. He was still unsteady on the ball but could play every shot in the book, and few others who defied sound. Adept at quick feet and counter spin, he is equally comfortable driving and pulling fast bowlers.

When he was appointed Australia's 45th Test captain, Smith was filling in for the injured Michael Clarke for three Tests. It was a period of a clear purple patch, even by his standards: he then scored six hundreds in eight Tests against India, the West Indies and England. Despite being just 25 at the time, the added responsibility clearly didn't stop him from making runs, and Smith cemented his place when Clarke retired at the end of the 2015 Ashes in England.

As Smith's batting has evolved, his bowling has become less frequent, although he can still land the odd fizzing legbreak and take out a wicket or two. His athleticism and instincts on the field stand out, even in a high-class fielding team like Australia. He was also a key figure in Australia's ODI team, being his country's leading run-scorer in their triumphant campaign at the 2015 World Cup and captaining all three formats before his career turned around.