With his ability to "simply take the game on" and slap the ball freely, former Australia captain Steve Smith, 33, thinks he can be a significant addition to the team for the 2018 ICC T20 World Cup, which will be held at home in October and November.
Australia will defend the championship they earned by overcoming trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in the UAE last year. While Smith wasn't in great shape during the tournament, scoring only 69 runs over four innings, and has recently had some trouble breaking into Australia's T20I squad, he still thinks he can be an important part of his country's World Cup campaign.
As Australia grabbed a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, Smith produced an unbroken 48 against Zimbabwe in the first One Day International at Townsville while batting at No. 3. In June, the 33-year-old had led his team to a series victory over Sri Lanka with an unbeaten knock off 37. (27).
Smith was reported by the ICC as saying, "I feel like when I'm playing fantastic T20 cricket, I'm in that team for sure." I believe that the Mr. Fix-it type of position that I have been assigned over the past few of years has been removed from me as a result of the Sri Lanka tour.
Smith has played a number of important knocks in Australian colours despite not having a powerful swing with the bat; all four of his half-centuries in T20Is have come at a strike rate better than 140. Smith believes he can compliment Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, and others nearby if given the responsibility of increasing the run-rate in the middle order.
"In Sri Lanka, I felt as though I could walk outside and just play with a lot more freedom naturally without having any kind of concern in the back of my mind, like I need to be a little more restrained or anything.
"I can simply accept the challenge, and if I feel like hitting someone for six on the opening ball, I am free to do so. I play freely when I'm at my best. I keep an eye on the ball, try to hit the gaps, and try to use the middle of my bat as much as I can."
Meanwhile, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh's slight injury has jeopardised Australia's T20 World Cup preparations. Smith and Marsh are competitors for the No. 3 place, but Smith noted that his teammate will be crucial to the home campaign.
"For Mitch, it's definitely not ideal. He has recently been playing some extremely excellent white ball cricket. I believe the top objective is to get him well for that since he was obviously a huge part of our T20 World Cup campaign last year and I'm sure there are great ambitions for him this year."