Ashes 2023 | Herschelle Gibbs Probes Steve Smith's Test Legacy

image-ljwjmh6eSteve Smith celebrates his 32nd Test ton during the 2023 Ashes (Twitter)

Herschelle Gibbs, an all-time South African legend, may have subtly criticised some of the modern-day batting greats of the game. Quiet recently, the former cricketer suggested that one should compare bowling attacks and playing conditions of different eras while comparing batters from different generations.

Gibbs stated out the same via his Twitter account after a publication had statistically compared Steve Smith with legendary batters Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Kumar Sangakkara.


Smith’s average higher than Tendulkar, Gibbs responds

Run-machine Steve Smith turned up for Australia for the 100th time in Tests last week when he took field at Leeds in the 2023 Ashes series. Fresh from his match-winning effort against England at Lord’s earlier, the right-handed batter failed to leave a notable mark on his 100th outing. He registered scores of just 22 and two across both innings as Australia went down to hosts by three wickets in a thrilling finish.

Nevertheless, Smith’s overall batting numbers remain unparalleled as he still averages nearly 59 after 100 Test appearances. 

Gibbs took note of the same and cheekily asked the publication to base their comparison over the quality of bowling they faced in their careers.

With this tweet, the cricketer-turned-coach might well have taken a subtle dig at some of the modern-day batting masters. It remains a widely discussed argument across the cricketing pantheon that batters today have it relatively easier than former batters who made it big at the international level.

While some hold yesteryears’ bowling attacks superior as opposed to the recent ones, others claim that modern Test pitches tend to favour batters more than the bowlers.