Steve Smith is an Australian right-handed middle-order batsman and spin bowler. He has captained Australia in all 3 formats of the game and has won many tournaments. He was a member of the Australian team which won the T20 World Cup 2021 held in Dubai. He was also banned from international and domestic cricket for 12 months after being found guilty of ball tampering. He also became the number 1 ranked ICC test player in 2015. He is also a good fielder, known for his athleticism.
Wiki/Biography
Steve Smith was born on Friday, 2 June 1989 (aged 33 years: as of 2022) in Saint George, Sydney Australia. His full name is Steve Peter Devereux Smith. His zodiac sign is Gemini. He went to the secondary school Menai High School in Sydney, Australia. He has dual citizenship of Australia and England. In 2007, he moved to England and started playing club cricket for Sevenoaks Vine in the Kent League. He failed to submit an assignment in English subject which led to him failing the Higher Senior Secondary (HSC) grade. He left school and decided to play cricket full-time. In 2008, he was offered to play from Surrey in county cricket; however, he decided to play in Australia and played for Sutherland District Cricket Club. He started as a bowler; however, later became the premier batsman for Australia. He was chosen for the under-19 Australian team later in the same year. He said in an interview,
“I qualified for England through my mother, but ever since my father stuck a cricket bat in my hand when I was four, my dream was to wear that baggy green cap. I learnt a lot about cricket by playing in England but to return and get picked for NSW was terrific. Some people said England would be an easier way to play Test cricket, but that was not my dream. The dream was to play for Australia.”
He played for the Under-19 Australian team in the Under-19 World Cup 2008 in Malaysia. He played for New South Wales and Sydney Thunder. At the age of 19 years, he was selected for the Australian team.
Steve Smith during his childhood
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Weight (approx.): 78 kg
Hair Colour: Blonde
Eye Colour: Light Blue
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest 40″, Waist 32″, Biceps 12″
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Peter Smith and his mother’s name is Gillian Smith. Peter has a degree in Chemistry and works with pigments and waxes. Peter is from Australia and Gillian is from England; however, she got her Australian citizenship on 2 August 2021. He has an elder sister named Kristle Smith who is married.
A family picture – Peter Smith, Gillian, Kristle Smith and her husband, Dany Willis, and Steve Smith (left to right)
Wife & Children
His wife is Dani Willis. He met her first at a bar and after dating her for 4 years, he married her on 15 September 2018 in Berrima, Sydney, Australia. Dani has graduated in Law and Commerce from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. He has no children.
Wedding photo of Steve Smith – Steve Smith’s parents, Steve and Dani, and Dani’s parents (left to right)
Nationality
Steve Smith has dual citizenship of Australia and England as his father is from Australia and his mother is from England.
Religion
He is a Catholic Christian.
Signature/Autograph
Steve Smith’s autograph
Career
Test Debut
He played his debut test match on 13 July 2010 against Pakistan at Lord’s Cricket Stadium, London, England.
ODI Debut
He played his debut ODI match on 19 February 2010 against West Indies at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia.
T20I Debut
He played his debut T20 match on 5 February 2010 against Pakistan at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia.
Test Career
He has played against all major test-playing nations including England, India, South Africa, and West Indies. In the 2010 test series against Pakistan, he scored 77 runs in the second innings of the test match. In the 2013 4-match series against India, he played in 2 matches and scored 161 runs. On 22 August 2013, he scored his first test century with 138 runs not out at Kensington Oval Stadium, London, England playing against England. In the 2013-3014 series against England held in Australia, he scored 327 runs. In the 2014-2015 4-match series against India held in Australia, he scored 162 runs not out and 52 runs not out in the first and second innings respectively of the first test. He scored a century in each match of the series and was the highest runscorer from both teams with 769 runs at an average of 128.17. In the 2014 calendar year, he scored 1146 runs at an average of 81.86. In the 2014-2015 2-match series against West Indies held in West Indies, he scored 283 runs at an average of 141.50 and was the highest runscorer from both teams. In June 2015, he became the number 1 ICC test batsman. In the 2015 Ashes, he scored 508 runs and was the highest runscorer from both teams. In the second test, he made his first double-century with 215 runs in the first innings. In the 2015 calendar year, he scored 1474 runs at an average of 73.70. In the 2016-2017 3-match series against Pakistan, he scored 441 runs at an average of 110.25 and was the highest runscorer from both teams. In the 2016-2017 4-match series against India, he scored 499 runs at an average of 71.29 and was the highest run scorer from both teams. He completed his 5000 test runs in that series. In the 2016 calendar year, he scored 1079 runs at an average of 71.93. In the thirst test of the 2017 Ashes, he scored 239 runs which is his highest score in tests. In the same series, he scored 687 runs at an average of 137.40 and was the highest runscorer from both teams. In the 2017 calendar year, he scored 1305 runs at an average of 76.76.
Steve Smith looking at Ashes Urn 2017
In the 2019 Ashes, he scored 774 runs at an average of 110.57 and was the highest runscorer from both teams. In the first test, he scored 144 runs and 142 runs in the first and second innings respectively. In the third test, he made 211 runs in the first innings. In the 2020-2021 4-match series against India, he scored 313 runs at an average of 44.71. In the 2022 2-match series against Sri Lanka, he scored 151 runs at an average of 75.50 and was the highest run scorer for his team. He has won 12 Player of the Match awards.
ODI Career
He has played against all major ODI-playing nations like India, England, South Africa, and New Zealand. On 7 October 2014, he scored his first ODI century with 101 runs against Pakistan at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. On 21 November 2014, he scored 104 runs against South Africa at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia. On 23 January 2015, he scored 104 runs not out against England at Bellerive Oval Stadium, Hobart, Australia. On 26 March 2015 during the semi-final of the 2015 World Cup, he scored 105 runs against India at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia. He was selected Man of the Match for his stellar performance. He scored 56 runs not out in the 2015 World Cup final against New Zealand and Australia won the trophy.
Steve Smith (right) celebrating with Shane Watson after 2015 World Cup win
On 12 January 2016, he scored 149 runs against India at WACA Ground, Perth, Australia. On 4 December 2016, he scored his highest score, 164 runs against New Zealand at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia. In the 2016 calendar year, he scored 1154 runs at an average of 50.17. On 19 January 2017, he scored 108 runs not out against Pakistan at WACA Ground, Perth, Australia. On 19 January 2020, he scored 131 runs not out against India at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India. On 11 September 2022, he scored 105 runs against New Zealand at Cazalys Stadium, Queensland, Australia. He has won 11 Man of the Match awards.
T20I Career
He has played against all major countries including India, England, South Africa, and West Indies. On 31 August 2015, he scored 90 runs against England at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, England. On 25 March 2016, during the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup, he scored 61 runs not out against Pakistan at IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, India. He was a member of the Australian team which won the 2021 T20 World Cup held in Oman and the United Arab Emirates. On 14 October 2022, while playing against England, he completed 1000 runs in T20 international matches. He was selected for the Australian team for the 2022 T20 World Cup; however, he did not play in any match. He has won 2 Man of the Match awards.
IPL Career
He has played for Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, Pune Warriors, and Rising Pune Supergiants. On 29 April 2016, he scored his only T20 century with 101 runs for Rising Pune Supergiants against Gujarat Lions at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune, India. He captained Rising Pune Supergiants in the 2017 season and led them to the final. He scored 51 runs in the final; however, lost by 1 run.
Big Bash League and Pakistan Super League
He played for Sydney Sixers in Big Bash League and was a member of the team which won the 2010-2011 Big Bash League. He has played for Multan Sultans in Pakistan Super League.
Captaincy
In August 2015, he was made captain of the Australian test and ODI teams at the age of 25 years. He became the youngest and 45th captain of the Australian test team. Chief selector Rod Marsh said,
“He has big shoes to fill but everything about him suggests he is the right man for the job. At 26, he is a fine young man with extraordinary talent, excellent leadership qualities and a terrific temperament.”
He was removed from captaincy in March 2018 post-ball-tampering controversy and banned from taking up any leadership role for 2 years. He became the vice-captain of the test team in November 2021. He captained Australia for a brief period during Ashes 2021-2022 when the captain Pat Cummins was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Injury
In 2016, he suffered an injury in the right wrist during midseason. In the 2017 series against India, he fell while fielding and suffered an injury in his right shoulder. In 2019, on the fourth day of the second test, he was hit on the neck by a bouncer from Jofra Archer, and Steve fell to the ground. He was attended by the Physios and was forced to retire hurt.
Steve Smith fell on the ground after being hit on the neck by a bouncer of Jofra Archer
Steve suffered an injury in his left elbow while playing the test series against Pakistan in 2021 and did not play in the ODI series against Pakistan. In 2022, while playing in the T20 match against Sri Lanka, he dived over to stop a six and suffered a mild concussion when he landed and his head hit the ground.
Controversies
Ball Tampering Incident / Sandpapergate Scandal
In the 2018 4-match series against South Africa, he was the captain of the Australian team. The incident happened during the third test played at Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, South Africa, when on 24 March 2018 (the third day of the test), Australian player Cameron Bancroft tampered with the ball using sandpaper. Commentator Mluleki Ntsabo and the third umpire Ian Gould saw him rubbing the ball with the sandpaper and putting it in his pants. Ian Gould contacted the on-field umpires Richard Illingworth and Nigel Llong to have a word with Bancroft regarding this and he showed the black cloth for his sunglasses to the umpires with the claim of this being the only item present in his pocket. Cameras were tracking his every move and they captured the moments when he took out the yellow sandpaper from his pocket and put it in his pants. They also captured him rubbing the ball with the same sandpaper. The play continued on as the umpires did not find any unusual change in the ball.
In case you missed it, this #SandpaperGate #BallTampering is utterly outrageous. It’s just not cricket. #BanBancroft pic.twitter.com/Z3zpIA32Jr
— Emma Sadleir Berkowitz (@EmmaSadleir) March 24, 2018
At the end of the day’s play, Bancroft appeared in a conference with Smith and Bancroft claimed that he rubbed the ball with the tape. Smith revealed that he knew about the plan however he did not take any steps to stop the unethical act of his fellow players. Bancroft said in the press conference,
“We had a discussion during the break and on myself I took an opportunity to use some tape, get some granules from the rough patches on the wicket and try to change the ball condition. It did not work. The umpires did not change the ball but once I was cited on the screens I panicked quite a lot and that resulted in me shoving it down my long trousers.”
Steve mentioned that the move was planned by the leadership group however he did not mention the names of the people involved. He also did not resign from the captaincy. He said in the press conference,
“The leadership group knew about it. We spoke about it (ball-tampering) at lunch. I am not proud of what has happened. It is not in the spirit of the game, not in line with my integrity, the team’s integrity. The leadership group’s integrity has come into question and rightly so. It is not on. It won’t happen again under my leadership I can promise you that. I still think I’m the right person for the job. I need to take control of the ship. This is certainly something I’m not proud of. I’m embarrassed to be sitting here talking about this.”
Fans and players from all over the world criticized Australia for its dirty tactics. Match referee Andy Pycroft fined Cameron Bancroft 75% o of his match fee along with 3 demerit points. He also fined Steve Smith 100% of the match fee and banned him for one test. Australian Prime Minister called Cricket Australia, urging them to take decisive action to protect its reputation. While addressing the media, he said,
“Our cricketers are role models and cricket is synonymous with fair play. How can our team be engaged in cheating like this? It beggars belief.”
Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland expressed his shock at the incident and he said while talking to the media,
“Australian cricket fans want to be proud of their cricket team. I feel this morning they have every reason to wake up and not be proud of the team. One of the unique things about the game of cricket, is it is to be played not only within the laws of the game, but in the spirit of the game. And, activities on the field yesterday, are neither within the laws of the game or the spirit of the game.”
Cricket Australia later found in its investigation that the plan was devised by the vice-captain David Warner during the lunch break in the dressing room and Bancroft did the act. South Africa won the match by 322 runs. After the match, Cameron Bancroft and Steve Smith appeared in another press conference and admitted to the ball-tampering allegations. Bancroft said,
“I am sorry to the people who have looked up to me around the world, especially the kids. I know I’m a role model and haven’t acted like one in this instance. Words don’t mean much in these circumstances, so I will focus on my actions and my conduct going forward. Yes, I lied about the sandpaper and I panicked in that situation, and I’m very sorry. It’s so big because you know the action of doing it is completely wrong.”
David Warner was found as the main culprit in Cricket Australia’s investigation and he showed Bancroft how to rub the ball using sandpaper. He said in the interview,
“To the fans and the lovers of the game who have supported and inspired me on my journey as a cricketer, I want to sincerely apologise for betraying your trust in me. To my teammates and support staff, I apologise for my actions and I take full responsibility for my part in what happened on day three of the Newlands Test. There’s a tiny ray of hope that I may one day be given the privilege of playing for my country again but I’m resigned to the fact that that may never happen again.”
Steve Smith admitted to his failure in keeping his team within the spirits of the game. He was accompanied by his father in the press conference.
Steve Smith (sitting) with his father during the press conference
He got emotional while talking to the media and with tears in his eyes, he said,
“I want to, as captain of the Australian cricket team, I take full responsibility. I made a serious error in judgement. It was a failure of leadership, my leadership. I say two things, or three things. Firstly, I’m deeply sorry. I love the game of cricket, I love entertaining young kids, I love kids wanting to play the great game of cricket that I love. The two other things is that, any time you think about making a questionable decision, think about who you’re affecting, you’re affecting your parents. To see the way my old man’s been … it hurts. I just want to say I’m sorry for the pain that I’ve brought to Australia and the fans and the public, it’s devastating and I’m truly sorry. I’m sorry and I’m absolutely devastated. I’m the captain of the Australian team. It’s on my watch and I take responsibility of the actions of what happened last Saturday in Cape Town.”
After this incident, Steve Smith was removed from the captaincy, and he was banned from international and domestic cricket for 12 months and banned from any leadership role for further 12 months. David Warner was removed from the vice-captain’s role and was banned from international and domestic cricket for 12 months and banned from any leadership role permanently. Cameron Bancroft was banned from international and domestic cricket for 9 months and banned from any leadership role for further 12 months. Following this, Cricket Australia removed manager Pat Howard and executive Ben Amarfio. CEO James Sutherland also resigned from his position after handling it for 17 years. Cricket Australia chairman David Peever and long-time member Mark Taylor also resigned from their roles.
Awards
- Allan Border Medal – won thrice in 2015, 2018, and 2021.
Steve Smith with his wife Dani after winning his 3rd Allan Border Medal
- Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy – 2015.
- ICC Male Test Cricketer of the Decade (2011-2020).
Humbled to be named Test player of the decade. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my career so far. I’ve had a lot of fun, faced many challenges, learnt so much and now I can’t wait to see what the next decade has in store for me 🏏 🙏 pic.twitter.com/wdWWNynnce
— Steve Smith (@stevesmith49) December 31, 2020
- McGilvray Medal – won 4 times in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.
- Steve Waugh award – won twice in 2009-2010 and 2011-2012.
- Wisden Cricketer of the Year – 2015.
Car Collection
Steve Smith owns a Mercedes Benz C200, Rolls Royce, Porsche Cayenne, BMW M2, Audi Q7, and Range Rover.
Salary
His salary is £750,000 per year from Cricket Australia’s contract.
Net Worth
His net worth is £14 million.
Favourites
- Food: Chicken Schnitzel, Acai
- Restaurant: Clovelly Hotel In Sydney
- TV Series: Two & A Half Men, Las Vegas, CSI, One Tree Hill
- Film: Home Alone 2 – Lost In New York
- Musician: Little Birdy, Vampire Weekend, La Roux, The Killers
Facts/Trivia
- He has been given the nickname ‘Smithy’ by his fans and teammates.
- He is the only player to become ICC test cricketer of the year twice( in 2015 and 2017).
- He is the fastest Australian batsman to complete 10000 runs in international cricket (232 innings).
- He is the fastest batsman to complete 7000 test runs (126 innings) and 8000 test runs (151 innings).
- He has scored a century and a half-century in most test matches (10 times).
- He is the second batsman to make more than 1000 test runs in 4 consecutive calendar years(2014-2017).
- He has the second-best career rating (947 points) in the test history.
- He is the youngest player to win Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (2015).
- He is the first player to win McGilvray Medal – 4 times.
- He likes playing Tennis, Scuba Diving, and photography. He considers Roger Federer as the best tennis player.
Steve Smith (left) with Roger Federer
- He is an investor in Koala Mattress, Trade360 Limited, Oat Milk Goodness, and Snappr.
I am excited to start my partnership with @Trade360_LTD, this technology is truly amazing pic.twitter.com/gf11Blv6qn
— Steve Smith (@stevesmith49) May 4, 2020
- He launched The Steve Smith Cricket Academy in 2021.
The Steve Smith Cricket Academy. Coming soon 🏏 #stevesmithcricketacademy#SSCA pic.twitter.com/Us4iiRXLIa
— Steve Smith (@stevesmith49) March 19, 2021
- He has also written his autobiography titled The Journey: My Story, from Backyard Cricket to Australian Captain.
See you at Dymocks on Albert Street, Brisbane at 11am Saturday pic.twitter.com/l91WVTWwWd
— Steve Smith (@stevesmith49) November 14, 2017
- He uses New Balance Bats.
Thanks @NBCricket for the new sticks. They are outstanding. Hopefully a few runs in them today! #newbalance pic.twitter.com/vVwfnPIEiX
— Steve Smith (@stevesmith49) November 20, 2014
- He is an Arachnophobic (a person who fears spiders).
- He loves to do fishing in his free time and also owns a partnership in 4 horse racecourses.
Steve Smith while fishing