David Green: Quiet approach earns England acclaim (30 June 1997)

Monday 30 June 1997

Quiet approach earns England acclaim

By David Green

THE inclusion of Mike Smith, Gloucestershire`s Dewsbury-born left-arm swing bowler, in England`s 14 for the third Test signals recognition for one of the least extrovert figures the English game can have produced.

Smith, short in stature for a quick bowler and reserved in demeanour, is the opposite of the stereotypical fast bowler such as Fred Trueman, Dennis Lillee or Wayne Daniel, snorting with fire and hostility.

Indeed, Smith calls to mind David Steele of Northamptonshire who was hauled out of the shadows to defy Lillee and Jeff Thomson in 1975, and was memorably described as "the bank clerk who went to war".

However, beneath the surface Smith is a tough cove who has overcome the physical disadvantages he possesses in comparison with most of his rivals, and has also survived reverses which would have disheartened a good many.

Smith played for Yorkshire at all schoolboy levels and also for the North against the South under-19s, when former Hampshire batsman Rupert Cox played against him. Cox recalls his bowling with respect, but the county showed little interest.

After attending Exeter University he was signed up by Gloucestershire, but he was 23 when he made his first-class debut in 1991 and he made little impact until the 1995 season.

In the four seasons to 1994 his first-class results were pretty moderate - 97 wickets, average 36.02 - but Gloucestershire coach Andy Stovold never had any doubts about his quality. "He could al- ways start it around off stump and hit middle and leg," said Stovold, "and that`s precious."

"My problem was," said Smith, "that I seized up quite badly after bowling so I always struggled in my second spell. In the winter of 1994-95 we worked hard to build up strength in my legs and shoulders, and maybe that did the trick."

Certainly from 1995 to date Smith has taken 158 first-class wickets at 22 runs apiece, a striking improvement, and though his pace is rarely above medium-fast, his late movement into the right-hander and his increasingly strict control have made him a feared opponent.

Thoughts that this season Smith might be exposed, without either Courtney Walsh or Javagal Srinath at the other end, as in the two previous years, proved groundless. Despite his gentle manner Smith has shouldered the responsibility of spearheading his county`s attack with relish and success.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/)