Steve Smith called out over brutal act towards teammate amid epic win for Sydney Sixers in BBL
Cricket fans are divided over whether Smith was in the right or wrong.
Steve Smith was at his brilliant best in the BBL again on Wednesday night, playing a match-winning knock to help the Sydney Sixers beat the Adelaide Strikers. But it came at the expense of teammate Jack Edwards in brutal scenes.
Fresh from his stunning century last weekend, Smith made 57 from 39 balls on Wednesday night as the Sixers won with one ball to spare. But the Aussie star completely burned Edwards and ran his teammate out while trying to get back on strike.
Edwards had only managed seven runs from first first eight balls, and Smith was absolutely firing with 45 off 21 in the sixth over. With one ball remaining in the over, Smith decided he needed to be on strike for the next because Edwards was struggling to get the ball away cleanly.
Edwards knocked the final ball of the sixth over into the outfield, and Smith recognised the only way he could get back on strike is if they ran two. Edwards didn't seem interested in the second run because the ball went straight to Brendan Doggett at long-on, but Smith came charging back blindly - thinking he was running to the danger end.
But Doggett made a heads-up play, throwing the ball to the keeper's end where Edwards was running. Doggett's throw hit the stumps direct and Edwards was out by an absolute mile - completely barbecued by Smith trying to hog the strike.
Considering how well Smith was batting, some thought he was justified to sacrifice the struggling Edwards. But others described it as "selfish" and "poor" from the Test superstar towards his teammate.
"I just wonder if he feels like Steve Smith - such was his desire to get back on strike for the next over - he over-egged the risk factor," Adam Gilchrist said in commentary for Fox Cricket after Edwards slammed his bat on the ground angrily. On SEN radio the commentator said: "I'll blame Steve Smith there because I reckon he wanted to get back on strike."
Smith cooked Edwards though
— Adam Cornell 🔴⚫ (@MrCricketAust) January 15, 2025
Smith was in the wrong but it's irrelevant as he's playing a knock worth much more than what Edwards would have scored.
— ^ (@TheBull_02) January 15, 2025
Edwards was playing so bad..Smith got him run out 😭
— Abn77 (@Ban__007) January 15, 2025
Smith crucified Edwards.
— Sir M.B.Anshaw § (@djebel) January 15, 2025
Really poor from Steve Smith there! #BBL14
— Matt Sullivan (@MattSull67) January 15, 2025
Sydney Sixers pull off epic late win after Steve Smith fireworks
Thankfully for the Sixers it didn't come back to bite them, with Smith going on to make a half-century and some late heroics from the lower order getting them home. The Sixers lost 3-4 in a five-ball span while chasing 183 for victory, but Ben Dwarshuis (30 from 23 balls) and Lachlan Shaw (32 from 21) rallied with a 55-run partnership.
The Sixers needed 23 from the last 12 balls and 10 from Henry Thornton's last over, and Hayden Kerr (18 from nine) and Sean Abbott (seven from five) got them home with one ball left. "It got pretty tight there but we bat pretty deep," Smith told Fox Sports. "We held our nerve at the end there and got a few away so it was a good win."
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The Sixers (13 points) took top spot from the Hobart Hurricanes (13 points) on net run rate with the win, but the Hurricanes have two games remaining while Smith's team have just one. The Strikers (six points, sixth spot) are all but certain to miss the finals, sitting two points shy of the fourth-placed Melbourne Stars with one game left.
.@SixersBBL get it done!
Abbott sneaks through for the winning single, returning the Sixers, as it stands, to the top of the table.#BBL14 pic.twitter.com/q1AWkANTdf— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 15, 2025
with AAP