'The faithful celebrated as if it was 100,' Steve Smith dabs after taking 45 minutes to get off mark (video)
Arguably the best Test batsman of this era, Steve Smith has ruled the longest format for quite some time now. It is not always when the former Australian captain is seen struggling to get off the mark in Tests.
One such rare moment happened during the opening day of the Pink Test between Australia and New Zealand in Sydney on Friday. Smith, who came in at 95 for 2, took 39 balls to finally get off the mark – the longest Smith has taken to score his first run in a Test in his career so far.
It was the second delivery of the 40th over, Smith flicked the ball to square leg and ran for a quick single. Had there been a direct hit, Smith would have not forgiven himself as that could have run Marnus Labuschagne out. Soon after the single was taken, the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) erupted into cheers. If Smith was anxious, so were the fans. The Aussie batsman acknowledged that with a dab and cheeky smile.
The emperor (Steve Smith) has scored his first run at his SCG kingdom. The faithfuls celebrated as if it was a 100 @scg #scg #AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/2RNizC0S1W
— Vijay Arumugam (@vijayarumugam) January 3, 2020
Probably the only time in history Steve Smith will acknowledge crowd cheers for getting off the mark 😂 #AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/Wllk6FBDmg
— #7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 3, 2020
The moment just got funnier when the New Zealand bowler, Neil Wagner engaged in a mischievous banter by patting Smith on the shoulder while returning to his run-up. Wagner went on to trouble Smith in the second session of Day One but could not finish the opponent fighter. Smith and Labuschagne once again have well settled in the middle. While Smith has brought up his fifty of 2020, Labuschagne became the year's maiden Test centurion, his career's fourth Test ton.
Earlier, Aussie skipper Tim Paine won the toss and elected to bat. By winning the first two Tests, the hosts have already sealed the series. The ongoing Test is a dead-rubber fixture but a win could earn the side some crucial points in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship. While Paine stuck to his same winning combination, New Zealand were forced to make five changes, mostly because of last-minute injuries.
The openers did not have the best start on Friday as Joe Burns managed just 18 runs, while David Warner missed out on his half-century by just five runs.