Steve Smith doesn't perform well in the fourth innings and here's the reason why

Steve Smith is unarguably one of the best batsmen in world cricket right now. The cricketer recently completed his one-year ban from international cricket. Upon his return to the Australian line-up, Steve Smith amassed 774 runs across four Ashes Tests to regain his No 1 spot in ICC Test batsmen rankings. However, Steve Smith suffered a rare failure in the format against Pakistan at The Gabba. The right-hander was dismissed for just 4 by Yasir Shah in Australia’s first innings.

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Steve Smith’s poor fourth innings record caused by poor sleep

Steve Smith enjoys a superior first innings record as the Australian talisman has scored over 3,000 runs at a Bradman-esque average of 93.64. He also boasts of an impressive second and third innings average of 63.37 and 51.68 respectively. However, when it comes to batting in the fourth innings of a Test, Smith only averages 30.68 without any century to his name.

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Smith previously blamed lack of sleep across the Test match for his poor fourth innings record. Usually, the fourth innings of a game occurs on either Day 4 or Day 5. Several Australian cricketers have now recalled occasions when Smith used to be drained out by the time the final innings of a Test approached.

While speaking with the reporters, Australian Test captain Tim Paine addressed the problem and said that Steve Smith is working with Cricket Australia to find some good sleep before batting in the fourth innings. Paine also praised Smith’s first-innings batting abilities and stated that big runs upfront can win you Test matches more often than not.

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Australia are currently hosting Pakistan for a two-match Test series. The home team won the first Test at The Gabba by an innings and 5 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series. The second Test will be a day-night affair at the Adelaide Oval between November 29 and December 3.

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