AUS vs PAK | Yasir's celebration motivated me to be disciplined against him, states Steven Smith

11/26/2019

Steven Smith has revealed that Yasir Shah's celebration after cleaning him off has only motivated him before the D/N Test in Adelaide. Yasir, who clean bowled Smith in the first Test, celebrated by showing seven fingers indicating the number of times he has had the better of the Australian.

The Australian team handed Pakistan a crushing innings defeat at the Gabba to seal the first match of the two-match Test series. The match's highlight was a dominant batting performance of the Aussies even without their trump card with the bat, Steven Smith not firing. Smith, who had a memorable Ashes on his return to international cricket after serving a year-long ban, failed to score in his first-ever innings Down Under in over a year.

Smith was cleaned off by leggie Yasir Shah for four as the spinner clean bowled him. If being bowled wasn't enough, Yasir's celebration, indicating he has knocked the ace batsman over seven times, was like rubbing salt over the wound. Responding to it, Smith has revealed that the celebration only motivated him to take off in the next Test match.

"It gave me a bit more motivation next game to not get out to him. I'll be a little bit more disciplined against him," Smith told reporters on Tuesday.

Smith pointed out that him slogging, instead of sticking to his usual superior technique, while facing the leggie has been the key to his undoing but while saying so, he took nothing away from Yasir. He went in to praise him for his performance at the Gabba where he bagged 4 wickets.

"A few of the times he's got me out, I've been on a few runs and been slogging. There's been a couple of second innings ones where I was playing some funky shots. So I'm not too worried," the Australian added.

"He bowled really well at the Gabba, got some good drift and a bit of a spin on a wicket that wasn't spinning much ... we're going have to play him well this game (at Adelaide)."

Australia won the first Test by an innings and five runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. The second Test will be a day-night affair.