STEVE Smith has drawn comparisons with former Test legspinning allrounder Richie Benaud, but he’s not convinced he fits the same mould.
Despite being a late addition to Australia’s Ashes squad, the 24-year-old went on to play all five Tests in England and capped the series off with an unbeaten 138 The Oval.
That knock saw him become Australia’s youngest Ashes centurion since Ricky Ponting and he’s also Australia’s second-highest Test run-scorer this year after Michael Clarke.
Smith also chipped in with the ball and his tweakers troubled England’s most effective batsman, Ian Bell, who he dismissed twice in one Test.
But Smith sees his leg-breakers as nothing more than a handy tool in his box and prefers to focus on his batting.
"I think probably a batting allrounder is a fair assessment," Smith said.
"Obviously bowling is something I need to keep working at. It’s a pretty handy string to have on my bow so if I keep working at that it’s always going to be a good thing.
"For me at the moment it’s more about concentrating on my batting and having my bowling there I’ve got the chance to work on it for the next couple of weeks and hopefully I’ll get some volume and consistency there as well."
A minor quad strain ruled Smith out of Australia’s one-day series against England, but he’s already resumed training with NSW and will be available for at least the first Ryobi Cup match on September 29.
NSW coach Trevor Bayliss was pleased to see Smith play to his potential in England, but believes there’s still room for improvement in his game.
"We know he’s a very talented young player with a good cricket brain on his shoulders and he’s shown that potential over the last few seasons," Bayliss said.
"He’s got some improving to do, he knows that from a spin bowling point of view. He backs himself, he’s not afraid to try things with the ball. I would say he would be batting in the top six and playing as the second spinner down the line."
Smith is grateful for the opportunity to come home and freshen up before a potential trip to India followed by the return Ashes series and he’ll use the time to work on his spin bowling with former Test spinner Stuart McGill.
"Stuart McGill’s around quite a bit with NSW at the moment," Smith said.
"He came into training the other day and had a look at us bowl and he’s someone that I can speak to in the future. He’s very good at coaching spin bowling, particularly leg spin bowling, so he’s someone I’m going to look to try and pick the brain of in the future."
