Posted by Steve Smith’s run-scoring apparently depends on whether he does or does not know the whereabouts of his own hands. Given Smith didn’t make it out of the foothills in India but then made a hundred in the World Test Championship final, we can only presume he happened across them again at some point while he was in Sussex.
First up, the hands thing, which we have previously revealed as being the real motivation for Smith’s elaborate pre-delivery fidgeting routine. He’s keeping tabs on them; making sure they don’t go astray.
Because according to Smith himself, he is prone to losing his hands and this can be for several months at a time. If that happens, all he can do is hunt for them.
“It’s taken me about three-and-a-half or four months to do it,” he revealed after finding them last time. “I had a big smile on my face after training the other day. I walked past Andrew McDonald and said, ‘I’ve found them again’.”
Judging by how frequently he’s metamorphosed into a batter in this most recent Test appearance, Smith has again located his hands.
Earlier in the year, we mildly ridiculed the idea that Smith playing in division two of the County Championship would be great preparation for Test cricket on the grounds that’s actually supposed to be one of that competition’s greatest failings. In our defence, when we said that, we didn’t realise that Smith had left his hands there.
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Latest from Justin Langer on the wireless, talking about David Warner:
‘Having walked in his shoes, it’s no fun with people questioning your place in the team.’
Maybe that’s why he got everyone to go barefoot, because they were wearing each other’s shoes.
Wearing each other’s shoes on each other’s hands? No wonder some of them are struggling to find their hands. This whole elite mateship business is getting totally out of hand.
Update on an old bear for you Sam – a 41-year-and-over-300-days-old Collins Obuya helped Kenya to a 3-wicket win over Rwanda in the Africa Continental Cup. Didn’t bowl his World Cup gracing leggies but opened the batting and got 36 off 27 balls, with 3 fours and 3 sixes.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/africa-continental-cup-2023-1379384/kenya-vs-rwanda-1st-match-1379572/full-scorecard
Rwanda have a seamer called Zappy Bimenyimana – excellent work by his parents on the nominative determinism front.
Update updated: against a decent Ugandan side, former Bear Collins Obuya (now 41 years and 318 days) has just carried his bat, making 96* off 60 balls with 8 fours and 6 sixes! His highest T20I score, and just one less run than the Ugandans made in reply. Obuya faced the last two balls of the innings on a score of 92* so needed a four and a six for his century – his partner had already hit two sixes that over – but sadly he only managed two twos.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/africa-continental-cup-2023-1379384/kenya-vs-uganda-4th-match-1379577/full-scorecard
In case anyone is wondering what happened to his leg-spin, he’s mostly a batter these days and last bowled in a competitive match in September 2022, when he took 0/14 against Nepal.