Despite rivalries on the pitch, former Australia captain Steve Smith is in awe of New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson. In a clip shared by IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, when asked who his current favourite cricketer, Delhi Capitals’ new recruit said it was Williamson.
“In past players, I’m gonna go with Sachin Tendulkar. I loved Sachin Tendulkar and Michael Slater. At present, I’m gonna go with Kane Williamson,” Steve Smith said.
Watch till the end for Smudge's answer! 😌#OrangeArmy #KeepRising #SRH @stevesmith49 pic.twitter.com/cKAFFMMrst
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) March 17, 2021
Smith, after being released by Rajasthan Royals, was picked up by Delhi Capitals for Rs 2.2 crore, a little higher than his base price of Rs 2 crore. While Smith was supposed to earn big bucks, the bargain price tag surprised many. Only Royal Challengers Bangalore showed a little interest in their initial bid but it was later revealed that the bid was part of their auction strategy.
As for Smith, despite being one of the best batsmen of the current generation, he is not considered to be a T20 batsman. In addition, his no bowling ability has also been a factor for him going unsold in the first round of the auction. At Delhi Capitals, while it will be difficult for them to find a place for him in the Playing XI, the Australian is a great addition.
The last IPL 2020 was pretty average for his calibre, scoring 311 runs from 14 matches at an average of 25.91. However, if given a chance, Smith would definitely go for big scores to take a dig at his former employer.
As for Kane Williamson, he led the side to IPL final in 2018 with regular captain David Warner suspended by Cricket Australia for ball-tampering charges. IPL 2018 was also his best in the tournament with 735 runs from 17 matches at an average of 52.50. In the last IPL, he scored 317 runs at an average of 45.28 from 12 matches.
