Simon Hughes: Smith`s the name, swing`s the game for late developer (23 July 1997)

Wednesday 23 July 1997

Smith`s the name, swing`s the game for late developer

By Simon Hughes

IN cricketing terms, Smith is a name more associated with gatherers than hunters, particularly when preceded by the word Mike. M J K Smith batted 78 times in the middle order for England and M J Smith (no relation) opened the innings in two oneday internationals in the 1970s.

Gloucester`s A M Smith looks likely to buck this trend by making his Test match debut tomorrow as a left-arm swing bowler. He was named in England`s 12 yesterday after Phil Tufnell was for the fourth time requested politely to rejoin his county. The final choice for the fourth Test therefore rests between Smith and Andrew Caddick.

Smith`s elevation would make sense for a number of rea- sons. First, he is the country`s leading wicket taker with 55 scalps at paltry cost, second he had notable success against the Australians for Gloucestershire earlier this summer, thirdly he likes Headingley and a month ago took 10 wickets in the match against Yorkshire.

Most importantly he swings the ball in from a different angle of attack and by naturally following through beyond the right-handers` off stump will create some rough for the off-spinner Robert Croft to aim at later in the match. This is a much more workable strategy than the armchair critics` recent clamour for England`s main strike bowlers to operate from round the wicket to create the same worn area.

Mike Gatting and Graham Gooch have bitter experience of trying to combat off-spin jumping from left-armers` rough in Calcutta four years ago. The Indian off-breaker Rajesh Chauhan ruthlessly exploited the footmarks left by England`s Paul Taylor, sending Gooch`s team crashing to defeat. He and his co-selector visualise this approach as a possible counter to Shane Warne bowling into the rough here.

If Smith plays it will be a sentimental homecoming. He was born in Dewsbury, 15 miles from Leeds, spent some of his boyhood watching cricket at Headingley and as a teenager bowled in the indoor nets at a certain G Boycott. Yorkshire, however, were not overly impressed with the fledgling left-armer and he disappeared south to study modern languages at Exeter University and then to join Gloucestershire.

Only 5ft 10in and a shade above medium pace, he was never a bowler to instil the batsmen with physical fear - his partner Courtney Walsh obliged in that department anyway - but his sharp swing exposed plenty of faltering feet. Not least those of the Australian captain, Mark Taylor, whom Smith extracted for a duck fourth ball with a peach of a delivery at Bristol. On a slow pitch he worried all the Australian top order and it was then that David Graveney, chairman of selectors, became properly aware of his value. He confirmed that by saying yesterday: "We must expose the Australians to Englishtype bowlers."

Smith is unlucky that the traditional vagaries of Head- ingley perished with the relaying of the entire square several years ago, but at least the ball always swings here. "It bent all over the place when I played here earlier in the season, and I would love to make my debut here," the quietly spoken Smith said, sounding slightly less diffident than usual. "I`m a great believer in having `happy` grounds."

He wasn`t a happy camper the last time he wore England colours. Arriving on the A tour of Pakistan in 1995 with a minor side injury he soon became a passenger after breaking down during an early outing in Karachi. He spent three depressing weeks trying to overcome the problem before being sent home having failed to take a single wicket.

The Australians countered the inclusion of Smith by leaving out the beleaguered Michael Bevan on his adopted home ground and selecting Ricky Ponting for his first Test since December.

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