‘Dumbest shot you’ll ever see’: Ex-Australia coach tears into England star | Cricket News
Joe Root’s record-equalling 41st Test hundred ended as a lonely high point in England’s innings as a familiar lower-order collapse dragged the side down to 384, despite the former captain standing tall with a sublime 160. While Root was showered with praise and admiration, the mood shifted sharply after Jamie Smith threw his wicket away with a shot that left both camps stunned. Smith was batting on 41 and looked set to help push England beyond 450, having already established himself as a key figure with 434 runs against India last year, including a century and two fifties. Instead, a moment of recklessness undid his work. Taking on Marnus Labuschagne in the all-rounder’s first over, Smith charged down the pitch to a dragged-back short ball. The off-side heave was mistimed, and Scott Boland calmly completed the catch at deep cover.
The dismissal triggered widespread criticism, with reactions cutting across national lines. Justin Langer was particularly scathing on air. “What I do know is not for the first time in this series, Jamie Smith has played one of the dumbest shots you’ll ever see in Test cricket,” the former Australia coach said. “He was lucky earlier; he had a very soft dismissal off a no-ball to Cameron Green. Test cricket goes for five days; this is dumb cricket. Marnus Labuschagne is pumped.” Brett Lee was equally blunt in his assessment. “The golden arm strikes again! Marnus Labuschagne just bowled bumper after bumper after bumper – at 129km/hr – but it’s effective,” Lee said. “His 14th Test wicket – and this would probably be his favourite. It’s a rank bumper outside off stump, but what was he doing? What was Jamie Smith thinking? It was a poor shot. It’s a filthy shot.” The reaction in the commentary box said plenty too. Former England spinner Graeme Swann could only bury his face in disbelief, while Simon Katich turned his fire on England’s aggressive approach. “He’ll go in the dressing room now and probably get pats on the back for taking the game on,” Katich said on SEN Radio. Alyssa Healy echoed the frustration from the Australian side. “There is one man in the deep in front of point on the off-side, and he has picked him out,” she said. “I know this is the way they play and the way they want to approach it, but you cannot honestly tell me he’s going to walk back into that change room and be patted on the back.” Root’s innings had promised dominance and control. Smith’s dismissal, however, ensured the focus shifted from celebration to criticism, leaving England to reflect on another collapse that overshadowed a historic hundred.
