‘It’s very Bradman-like’: Healy on Smith

IAN Healy says it’s a “privilege” watching Steve Smith as the superstar finds top form for the Sydney Sixers in the BBL.

After returning to the Big Bash following the test summer, Smith has made 328 runs from four innings for the Sixers with scores of 36, 101, 125 not out and 66.

In perhaps the richest vein of form the BBL has ever seen, Healy compared Smith to the legendary Sir Donald Bradman for the way he appears so much better than both his teammates and opposition.

“I feel like it’s a privilege watching him,” Healy said on Sportsday NSW.

“When he gets out, seeing how hard the others are doing it, the discrepancy between him and the rest is unbelievable, it’s very Bradman-like.

“He’s just doing it so easily and how he’s done it, he’d have a technical idea of what he’s doing, he’s talking grip and everything like that, but I like his feet, his feet are still and his head is still.

“When he played at his best maybe three years ago or four years ago, he was walking all over the place but when the bowler delivered the ball he was dead still, and his feet were set.

“If you set your feet when you’re playing your shot, your bat speeds up, you can really get good leverage with your shots.

“His finding the middle of the bat incredibly often and it feels like a privilege watching him play like this, he wasn’t doing it six months ago.”

Having spent most of his test and white-ball career as a middle order batsman, Smith’s BBL run has come with him opening alongside Josh Philippe.

Given how well Smith is playing against the new ball, Healy was asked whether he’d have the 33-year-old open the batting for Australia in the shortest format.

“Definitely, how could you not?,” Healy replied. “Who opened with [David] Warner in the T20 World Cup? It was Finchy [Aaron Finch] who was captain.

“Both Warner and Finch aren’t playing anywhere near as well as Smith, so he overtakes both of those in my eyes with the way he’s batting now.

“We don’t play many international T20s so hopefully he’s doing this in the lead-up to the next World Cup.

“Even in the 50-over game I’d be opening with him as well.”

– BY LACHLAN GELEIT/ SEN