'It's not what you look like, it's the end result that counts'
Monday 5 August 2019 18:18, UK
Steve Smith has blunted bowlers around the world with his unorthodox technique. But does that mean kids should replicate it?
That's the question we posed to Sky Sports Cricket pundits Nasser Hussain and Kumar Sangakkara after former Australia skipper Smith took his Ashes career run-tally past 1,000.
Click on the video above to see the pair take a closer look at Smith's set-up including stance and back-lift and explain why you can be too still at the crease and how orthodoxy doesn't necessarily lead to fluency.
Nasser reflects on the chat he had with Smith in the nets before the Test and explains why the Australian is a strong believer in letting people bat in a way that feels natural to them.
"You need a basic structure, a basic awareness of the game - an understanding of how best you play, of how best you meet the ball with the bat," explained Kumar.
"That's what I term technique rather than having everything in line as the coaching manual says. It's about allowing that young kid to blossom in their own way.
"Once you have that base with a good defence, you can keep the dangerous deliveries out and you understand and can control where you want to hit it, then you can expand and elaborate on that base and teach the reverse dinks and the paddles."
Referring to Nasser's interview, Kumar added: "The greatest thing I took away from that interview was Smith saying "I'm a great fan of people working things out for themselves'.
"That is where this spoon-feeding era needs to end and responsibility is given back to the players to think, imagine and create from that technical base."
Nasser added: "It's not what you look like, it's the end result that counts."
Live coverage of the Ashes continues on Sky Sports The Ashes.
