Steve Smith faces rare Shield failure on return for New South Wales

Days after it was confirmed that Steve Smith wouldn’t continue as an opener any longer, the right-hander made an underwhelming Sheffield Shield return against Victoria on October 21. Batting at No.3, Smith could only score three during his stay of 29 balls at the crease before nicking one down the leg side off Fergus O'Neill’s bowling.

Smith walked in to bat with the score reading 5/1 before he built a small 20-run partnership with Nic Maddinson. But the 35-year-old ultimately played a shot down the leg side to end a sorry stay at the crease before the big Border Gavaskar Trophy, which starts in November. 

The right-hander has had some underwhelming returns in the past few red-ball games, with 91 against West Indies being his best score since July 6, 2023. Add to it the three against Victoria and you are staring at one of the greatest Test batters Australia have seen, struggle massively. 

Twin wickets from there stunned New South Wales, who went from 25/1 to 28/4, a score that eventually turned into 136 at the end of the innings. Victoria’s Will Sutherland bowled great channels to pick up three wickets during his spell that stormed NSW. 

At the other end, Mitchell Starc bowled with venom, picking up three wickets in the second dig, removing Marcus Harris for a run-a-ball 16. It would be intriguing to see if Smith can make a comeback in the second innings.

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