English cricketer Ben Stokes praises the ‘genius’ of Steve Smith

English cricketer Ben Stokes was recently named Wisden’s Cricketer of the Year, and the superstar has opened up about the bizarre antics of Steve Smith.

Steve Smith of Australia celebrates with the Urn after Australian drew the series to retain the Ashes.

The 2019 Ashes proved a career-defining series for two cricketers – England’s Ben Stokes and Australia’s Steve Smith.

Stokes’ heroics at Headingley has been touted as one of the greatest innings in Ashes history, while Smith’s unforgettable return at Edgbaston signalled the start of a new era for Australian cricket.

In December, Smith was named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Decade, while Stokes was rightfully named Wisden’s Cricketer of the Year for 2019, the first English player to achieve the feat in 15 years.

The superstar pair played together during the 2019 Indian Premier League. Representing the Rajasthan Royals, Smith and Stokes spent several weeks training alongside one another, four months before the iconic Ashes series.

In some respects, the two batsmen are polar opposites. Stokes possesses a relatively orthodox batting technique, his added upper-body strength helping him clear the boundary with ease. Meanwhile, social media blew up when Smith started prancing about the popping crease at Lord’s in August, flaying his bat around like a lightsaber, even balancing on one leg as the ball sailed through to the keeper.

Steve Smith scored 774 runs during the 2019 Ashes series.

Smith’s antics are not a charade to put off the opposition; it’s fierce concentration. When conditions are not remotely suited for batting, Smith critically analyses every delivery, adjusting his technique to cater for late swing and inconsistent bounce – obscure leaves and ongoing adjustment of protective equipment are merely a side effect.

Teammates mock Smith for shadow batting in his hotel bedroom at 7am, tapping away at the floorboards. Australian coaching staff have even been spotted “collapsing” when Smith starts padding up for yet a net session, fainting from the exhaustion of endlessly feeding him cricket balls.

Speaking on the Royals Podcast, Stokes labelled the former Australian captain “strange”, but conceded he was also a “genius” with the bat.

“He’s still strange to play against, and he’s still strange to play with, and the best thing about it is that he admits it. He knows it,” Stokes said.

“But I feel like to be a genius, you have to be a bit strange, and he’s certainly both.

“Even though I’ve played against him and he plays for Australia … you’ve just got to hold your hands up sometimes to people like that and go, ‘Yeah, you are on a different level when it comes to batting’.

“I could never be like that. Personally, I could not think about cricket in the way he does when it comes to batting. He’s on all the time. That’s why he averages 60.”

Ben Stokes was named English Sporting Personality of the Year for 2019.

Smith averages 62.84 in Test cricket, which sits only behind Sir Donald Bradman and prodigy Marnus Labuschagne on the all-time list. In comparison, Stokes averages 36.54 in the game’s longest format.

The English phenom also contributes with ball in hand, boasting 147 Test wickets. However, he hasn’t dismissed Smith in an Ashes match since January 2014.

Stokes also spoke about the importance of Test cricket amid continued efforts to prioritise the financially-reliable shorter formats. Last summer, the ICC revealed they were considering reducing the length of Test cricket to four days.

“For me, Test cricket is the pinnacle. There’s been a lot of talk recently about Test cricket dying, but I don’t know where that comes from. I know the likes of Virat Kohli and Joe Root have spoken about how Test cricket is where you really get tested,” Stokes said.

“It’s where you find out what you're really about as a cricketer and for me it is the purest form of the sport.

“It has to stay around, it would be a sad, sad day if Test cricket was changed. If they are going to change the rules, I think they should call it, ‘Easy cricket’.”