Brisbane: Australia coach Justin Langer cannot believe the ‘absolute load of rubbish’ that Steve Smith was trying to scuff up Rishabh Pant’s guard in the drawn Sydney Test. Justin Langer has called the criticism of his ‘quirks’ way out of line and ludicrous.
Smith was accused of scuffing up the batsman’s guard during the drinks break during the first session Monday in the drawn Test. But Langer backed Smith to the hilt. He came down heavily on the criticism, mostly driven by fans online and former players like Michael Vaughan.
“…I literally cannot believe some of the rubbish I read about Steve Smith. Absolute load of rubbish. I mean, if anyone knows Smith, he is a bit quirky. He does some weird (stuff). We have laughed about it for the last couple of years,” Langer said in a virtual media conference Wednesday.
“I have spoken about it publicly, privately about how he is a bit quirky. What Steve Smith does at the crease, he does it probably most games. He is just thinking about the game,” the former batsman added.
Langer said Smith has been exemplary on and off the field since he has made his comeback following the ball-tampering scandal.
“Anyone who suggest for one millisecond, he was trying to do something untoward, way out of line. On that wicket, it was that flat, it was like concrete, you need 15 inches spikes to make a mark on the crease. Smith went nowhere near the crease. Seriously, I thought that was absolutely ludicrous,” Langer asserted.
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Langer said the batting star faced a barrage of abuse on his return to cricket after the ball-tampering ban. This happened especially on the tour of England, but never made a big deal of it. Smith went on playing the game with utmost sincerity.
“In the last couple of years since he (Smith) has been back, he has been exemplary on and off the field. He has let his bat to the talking. He was abused like I have never seen anything through England. He just kept smiling and doing his bat do the talking, give me a break,” the head coach stated.