It was the 2007-08 domestic season when Smith made his debut across formats. He was known to give the ball a fair rip and could generate a lot of turn as a leg spinner. His boyish charm and the run up to the crease even drew comparisons with the legendary Shane Warne who had just retired from international cricket a season or so before. Smith's talent was evident but he was too raw for the big stage. In a couple of years, the national call-up came with the limited-overs debuts happening in February 2010. The tour of England later that year saw him initiating in the longest format as well.
But now Steven Smith's career redemption is a story for the ages. Having made his name initially as a potential leg spinner who could bat a bit, there was immense criticism, even among those in Australia over the quality of his selection during his early days as an international cricket. However, they had to eat humble pie as the enigmatic man from New South Wales turned things around in sensational fashion to feature among the best batsmen in the world.
Smith started off as a player who could bat at 7 or 8 apart from bowling his leggies. However, there was still a lot of rawness in his skill set. His selection during the Ashes series of 2010-11 drew a lot of contempt and after Australia lost the urn, his career also faded a touch, being dropped from all formats of the game. There was a feeling among the pundits that the bloke had more talent with the bat than with the ball. There was certainly a lot of courage about Smith the batsman and he started working more consciously on it. The former Australian great Greg Chappell once remarked that Smith was the best batting talent in the country. In the coming years, he would be proved right in a big way.
There were a few crisis knocks from him, including the Ashes-sealing hundred at the MCG and he followed it up with an equally impressive tour of South Africa. His contributions were valuable in both those series as Australia emerged victorious. If the 2013-14 season saw Smith making a strong comeback to the international arena, the following season established him among the best in the world. A phenomenal home series against India was the starting point and he hasn't looked back ever since, racking up runs in all conditions against all kinds of attacks. His exploits saw him ranked number one in Tests during the year 2015 and he has remained there since then, by a fairly good margin as well.
