Backyard gun to Brisbane ton

Steve Smith has started his reign as Australia’s 45th Test captain with a superb century in the second Commonwealth Bank Test at the Gabba.

The rear-guard ton came from 147 balls as wickets fell around him, standing tall in the Brisbane heat and against the hostile Indian attack.

The milestone was another respect in what’s been a unique journey among Australia’s Test captains.

Smith debuted in 2010 at Lord’s again Pakistan as a leg-spinner who possessed an unorthodox technique with the bat, one honed in the backyard with his father Peter from an early age.

The leg-spin eventually took a back seat to his passion for batting, and Smith Snr credits a former Test cricketer for nurturing and refining the blond batsman’s talent when he started with Sydney grade club Sutherland as a 16-year-old.

"He was very lucky he was at the Sutherland club where he had people like Steve Rixon and Phil Jaques, Glenn McGrath and others who were all there helping,” Peter Smith told cricket.com.au on the day his son was announced as Michael Clarke’s replacement.

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"The one who helped him the most was Phil Jaques. 

"I still remember a lot of conversations with Phil as he was growing up through the Sutherland ranks, just teaching him how to play first-class cricket.”

Jaques, a veteran of 200 first-class matches and 11 Tests, carries the nickname ‘The Pro’ for his meticulous preparation and recalls when he first met the young Smith at Sutherland.

“He had ability and was a really hard-working young kid,” Jaques told cricket.com.au.

“I was one of the senior guys trying to help him out wherever I could.

“His work ethic and the way he went about things was outstanding, and it’s good to see him getting rewards.”

It was from an early age that Smith’s prodigious talent was recognised, and the senior figures at Sutherland knew they had a rare find on their hands.

“With Steve there was always something a little bit special about him,” Jaques said.

“The way he moved in the field, the way he bowled, you could see there was something really special there.

“Whether we thought he’d be a Test player or not, I think that came a few years later when he started to see the work ethic he showed, and then he really matured as a guy over the next four or five years.

“Not only was he a talented cricketer but somebody that knew where he wanted to go, and he worked his fingers to the bone to get what he wanted.”

Smith always knew he wanted to be a Test cricketer for Australia.

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His mother, Gillian, hails from England, so at 17, Smith and father Peter told his school that the he was going to travel to England and play in the County leagues.

Four years later Smith was back in Old Enemy territory, this time playing Test cricket, but he was criticised for his ungainly technique with the bat and inconsistency with the ball, and later dropped.

Another stint in the Baggy Green followed with the same outcome, but another return to the Test side for the final two Tests in India marked the turning point in his career at the highest level.

A tighter, more controlled technique is a key factor behind the reinvention, and contributed to the 25-year-old flourishing.

Despite his penchant for flashy and extravagant stroke play, the message was a fundamental one to Smith from an early age.

“We gave him pretty simple plans to try and help him along, with regards to leaving the ball and his follow-through outside off stump,” said Jaques.

“That helped him at an early age and then he developed other shots and got better at other shots so he could hit more of those balls.

“It was very much just, ‘play it straight, play off your pads and play off the back foot as well’, because that’s where he was quite strong.

“He was very good against spin as well. He knew he could cash in and catch up when the spinners came on.

“It was about having a game plan and mindset early on in his career and that discipline has worked.”

Jaques insists it’s that home-built technique and raw talent that defines the best cricketers, and should be encouraged in all players.

“A lot of the natural talent is built up playing backyard cricket, playing with friends on the street, playing with dad in the backyard,” he added.

“That was something that helped him. Some players hit particular shots really well because they (learn) it in the backyard.

“I think it gets ingrained in you and when you come into the grade system you then refine those things and get better at doing those things well, rather than try to teach something at the age of 19-20.

“Generally speaking, a lot of the talent ingrained in those areas and it’s about refining that talent.

“Steve obviously enjoys playing the spinners in the backyard.”