Test cricket is one format that tests a cricketer to the hilt. Different skills, patience is required to be successful in red-ball cricket and several cricketers have time and again acknowledged the pleasure of featuring in the format. As far as the strategy and patience is concerned, at time, if things aren't happening, the bowling team generally opts for leg-side short ball theory in an attempt to frustrate the batter and get caught in the deep.
But at times, the bowlers deliver the bouncers way down the leg-side to which the batter doesn't even bothers to pull. Former Australia captain Steve Smith has opened up on this strategy and feels such deliveries should be called wide after a couple of warnings to the bowler. While he admits that the skill is required to properly direct the short ball, according to him, the batter are not able to hit the ball anywhere in front of the wicket.
Smith himself has got out to Neil Wagner, who retired recently from international cricket, as many as five times and averages just 16 against him. Wagner had kept him quite with his leg-side bouncers and also got him out the same way with fielders in the deep. "I think there could be some slight rule changes in terms of balls going down the leg side when you set that field.I think there could be some slight rule changes in terms of balls going down the leg side when you set that field," Smith said while spaking to Sydney Morning Herald.
"If you're bowling balls consistently in that area down leg, it should be a similar ruling to the spinner if that makes sense. Basically bowl one or two, then get a warning and then get wides called. To have those catchers (fielders) there in position, it can be challenging for sure. The only thing I'd like to see is if you get too much down leg, you can't really score anywhere else, and all the fielders are there. That would be the only change I wouldn't mind seeing," he added. For the unversed, Smith is currently in New Zealand for the two-match Test series that got underway on February 29 and scored 31 runs opening the innings.
