Ashes 2019 | Steve Smith will never be in the league of greats regardless of achievements, reckons Monty Panesar
Monty Panesar has claimed that Steve Smith’s name should not be attached to any of the cricketing greats and that he will always be remembered in history as a ‘cheat’, no matter how many runs he scores. He went on to recognize the batsman’s talent and held him solely responsible for Australia’s win.
Even though Steven Smith has stunned the world with his heroics on the pitches of England with one century after another, there are still a lot of critics who refuse to free him from the label of a ‘cheater’. The sandpaper gate scandal had tarnished the cricketer’s name to no end over the past few years and a section of people still believe he will carry the reputation throughout his life.
A few days after Steve Harmison had stated that the 30-year-old will be carrying the label with him to his grave, his former teammate Monty Panesar has echoed former thoughts on the controversial matter.
“(Steve) Smith was probably honest with himself. He is back and doing what he always loves to do. He is batting well and scoring runs. He is a traditional Australian cricketer with the baggy green. He is exactly what an Australian cricketer looks like. We all have heard of great (Diego) Maradona and his hand goal (hand of God) in the World Cup. People remember him because of that goal. Similarly, people will always remember Smith’s involvement in the ball-tampering episode during the Test against South Africa. He will always be known as a cheat, despite scoring huge number of runs,” the former England spinner was quoted saying by TOI.
Smith’s batting average has drawn comparisons with Sir Don bradman himself, not to mention the similarities with Ricky Ponting that have been highlighted owing to his single-handed charge at winning the series for the Kangaroos. However, Panesar refused to take his name in the same breath as such greats, reckoning one needs a gentleman’s personality along with talent to be included in such an illustrious list.
“There is a difference between a good player and a great player. It’s all about how you conduct yourself on and off the field. Because of the sandpaper incident, Smith will always be below the ‘great’ status. Look at Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, MS Dhoni or Kapil Dev. When we talk about these cricketers, we add legend or great before their names. Be it on or off the field, these guys have conducted themselves so well. When you meet them, you feel so good. They are great human beings. It doesn’t matter how many runs Smith will score, he will never be in the league of greats,” he added.
The one thing that can’t be debated though is the potential that he carries. Smith has already scored 617 runs in just five innings this year and now has a test average of approximately 65 in his career spanning almost a decade.
“There is no doubt though, that he is a great talent. He has been phenomenal for Australian cricket. England lost to Steve Smith,” he said in the interview.
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