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Steve Smith writes about his 'tweener' shot, Chris Rogers and Edgbaston

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Australian batsman Steve Smith writes about his outrageous 'tweener' shot, Chris Rogers and Edgbaston, courtesy of Fox Sports.

The Ashes - Live

THE ‘TWEENER

I played some unusual shots during my second innings at Lord’s, but for me it was all about getting quick runs.

I’ve tried to hit the ball through my legs before – I can do it when I get the ball in the right spot. On these occasions the ball was probably a little too wide for me to try do it, but I was definitely trying to hit the ball to fine leg because they only had two fielders on the leg side and they were both in front of square.

Steve Smith of Australia celebrates after reaching his double century
Image: Steve Smith celebrates after becoming the first Australian to score a double hundred at Lord’s since 1938

I probably inside edged the ball a little more than I wanted to, but we were at a point in the game when quick runs were the priority so I actually wasn’t worried at all about getting out, I was just able to have a bit of fun.

I might have got a bit of luck with the ball missing the stumps, but thankfully they still went to the boundary.

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE ‘IN THE ZONE’

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Steve Smith of Australia poses on the ground after scoring 215 and 58 during the test during day four of the 2nd Investec Ashes Test
Image: Smith scored 215 and 58 during the second Test at Lord's

I guess you don’t really think about too much when you’re out in the middle.

When you look back on a long innings after it’s done, that’s when the mental fatigue starts to set in.

I was pretty happy when the staff came up and said I was able to have a week off, because when you’re out in the middle for as long as I was last week it certainly drains you mentally.

That being said, once I was back in camp I was keen to get into the nets as I always like hitting a lot of balls regardless of what kind of form I’m in.

AN AUSTRALIAN IN PARIS

Steve Smith and his girlfriend Danielle Willis attend Rod Laver Arena during day one of the 2015 Australian Open
Image: Smith headed off to France with his girlfriend Danielle Willis for a mini-break following Australia's victory at Lord's

After the last Test I had a couple of days in London, and then I popped off to Paris for two nights with my girlfriend Dani. I’d never been there before so it was nice to see somewhere different in the world and just be able to relax and get my head in a good place.

I didn’t get recognised at all in Paris – I don’t think the French watch too much cricket! It was quite nice to get away from all the pressure that surrounds the Ashes series.

'Bucky' knows these conditions better than anyone else in our team so he’s a really valuable member of the side.
Steve Smith on Chris Rogers

The Eiffel Tower was pretty amazing. I’m not huge on doing the classic ‘touristy’ things when I’m travelling, but Dani got me on the ‘hop on, hop off’ bus and we saw all the sights.

It’s been great having Dani around on tour. I’ve had a pretty big stint away from home, going from the Indian Premier League to the West Indies and then straight here. We don’t get back to Australia until the middle of September, so that’s about five months straight of being away from home.

WHY CHRIS ROGERS IS SO IMPORTANT

Chris Rogers (middle) is comforted by Brad Haddin (R) and David Warner (L) at Lord's
Image: Chris Rogers is comforted by Brad Haddin (R) and David Warner (L) at Lord's

It’s never nice to see anything like what happened to Chris Rogers last week. You don’t want anyone to have issues with their head or their balance.

But it’s been good to see him in the nets the last few days - it looks like he’s recovering quite well and we’re pretty positive that he’ll be right for the Test match.

Bucky has been a big part of our success on the tour so far. He batted brilliantly last week and in Cardiff he was probably the only one of our batsmen to really bat well. He knows these conditions better than anyone else in our team so he’s a really valuable member of the side and hopefully he can continue scoring plenty of runs.

10 YEARS SINCE THAT TEST AT EDGBASTON

 Andrew Flintoff of England celebrates the wicket of Michael Kasprowicz of Australia during day two of the second np
Image: Andrew Flintoff celebrates the wicket of Michael Kasprowicz during the Ashes series at Edgbaston in 2005

The 2005 Edgbaston Test was just a great game of cricket, as was the entire series – it was probably the best series of cricket I’ve ever watched.

Both teams were filled with superstars so it was fantastic to watch as a fan.

I still don’t think Michael Kasprowicz should have been given out at the end of that 2005 Test - he would have been saved by DRS!

Hopefully we can get a win back for Australia at Edgbaston this week.

This column originally appeared on foxsports.com.au:
http://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket/the-ashes/steve-smith-column-australia-batsman-discusses-tweener-shot-chris-rogers-edgbaston/story-e6frf3gl-1227461162686

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