Steve Smith SCG dismissal : Steve Smith experienced an unusual lapse in focus just before lunch on day two, influenced by the SCG crowd’s energy.
At 35 years old, the Australian superstar was delivering another impressive performance against India, stabilizing the innings after an early collapse that claimed three wickets.
Smith had forged a strong partnership with Beau Webster, and the duo seemed poised to see the session through. However, Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna disrupted their plans.
Steve Smith’s Rare Lapse in Focus at the SCG
Moments before the lunch break, Smith edged a delivery from Prasidh Krishna straight to KL Rahul in the slips, adding another dismissal to the tally of catches behind the stumps.
Smith’s Impressive Innings Interrupted by Distraction
“It’s come out of nowhere,” Michael Vaughan remarked on Fox Cricket.
“You can see from Steve Smith’s reaction that it might have been a lapse in concentration. I think he just switched off and lost his balance.”
Smith walked off the field dejected after scoring 33, falling just five runs short of the rare milestone of 10,000 Test runs, a feat achieved by only three other Australians.
Replays of the dismissal revealed Smith appeared unsettled by movement above the sightscreen, as members of the crowd stood and walked around.
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“Right before that delivery, he gestured toward the area behind the sightscreen and seemed visibly annoyed,” commentator Brendon Julian observed.
“I wonder if this was the second lapse in concentration — distractions from everything happening around can really take a toll.”
This isn’t the first instance of Smith being unsettled by crowd activity in Sydney.
Last summer, the right-hander paused play due to a piece of tape on the sightscreen that disrupted his focus at the crease.
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