Aussie ‘comeback kid’ Smith wants to keep all-rounder tag

Sydney: Australia`s `comeback kid` Steve Smith has said that he will not be giving up leg-spin bowling and still wants to be considered as an all-rounder, even after wowing critics and the public with his batting prowess since coming off the bench in India in the final two Tests of the series.

The NSW player, who looks close to securing a berth in the Australian middle order for the Ashes, made 92 in Mohali followed by an important 46 at the Delhi Test that, with the assistance of Peter Siddle (51) and James Pattinson (30), revived a disastrous first-innings total. However, Smith said that he expected to bowl along with batting in Delhi despite his leg-breaks getting overshadowed by his impressive batting in India and during the domestic season in Australia in Sheffield Shield matches. Although Smith`s steady temperament in India gave him a strong chance to bat in the middle order in the July Ashes , the youngster said that he did not want to give up the other aspect of his game as he has been practicing a lot to improve his spin during the India tour. According to Smith, he had been told that that he can play a big part in the game even if he does not bowl as many consistent balls as he wanted to, adding that the key to playing well is to take wickets and put the opposition under pressure. Smith, who looked more comfortable with the bat like any other Australian batsmen, said that he had worked at length on fine-tuning his approach against India`s spinners, while he was sitting out of the first two Tests. Smith further said that batting to him was all about being fast, trying to get the wicket and taking advantage of the pitch. ANI