Steve Smith set for ODI milestone at Eden

Kolkata: From starting as a leg-break bowler to scoring a hundred in a high-pressure World Cup semi-final, Australia captain Steve Smith feels he has matured quite a lot as he gears up play his landmark 100th ODI, here on Thursday.

“I think I have evolved a lot as a white ball player. When I first started playing one-day cricket, my first 30-odd games, I played more as a bowler. I had to change a bit there.

“I’ve been batting at No 3 now for a while now,” Smith said when asked about his feelings ahead of milestone match.

“I had to find the right tempo for the game, whether it’s hitting boundaries or finding the right time to hit a right boundary. You learn as you play. It’s pretty exciting to play my 100th game,” Smith said.

Smith said his most memorable ODI innings was century in the 2015 World Cup semi-final against India. “I would probably say my most memorable innings is the century I scored against India at the SCG in the semifinals (of the 2015 World Cup),” Smith said about his 93-ball 105 as Australia piled 328/7 en route to a 95-run victory on March 26, 2015.

“It was a pretty big game and it was good to get a big score there. I think we lost a wicket pretty early. I was able to form a partnership with (Aaron) Finch. I will say that’s probably one of better one-day hundreds in a big occasion.”

Captain Smith is only 42 matches old and is still learning. “I think you’re always learning. You are trying to evolve and just keep trying to get better. You can never be satisfied. You want to be the best you can. Yes, I have learnt a lot long the way but there’s always so much more to learn and get better at as well,” he concluded.