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I knew where Wahab would bowl: Smith

Australia skipper reveals secrets of audacious World T20 shot that set cricket world alight

Steve Smith has revealed he 'knew' where Wahab Riaz was going to bowl for his memorably audacious leg-side boundary from wide of the off-stump during the World Twenty20.

Smith stunned cricket watchers with an audacious stroke – setting up wide of off-stump and moving wider, only for Wahab to bowl it into his zone as the Australia skipper whipped it to the leg side boundary.

Wahab was roundly criticised for not targeting the exposed stumps but Smith has claimed having done so would only have made his shot "easier".

"You look at field … (Wahab) was always going to bowl wide," Smith said during his appearance on Back Page Live.

"I genuinely think if he had bowled at stumps it would've been an easier shot.

"I could just tell where it was going to go.

"When you're in the zone … you can just tell where it's going to go occasionally. That was one of those instances."

WATCH: Smith goes between the legs

It was not the first outrageous shot Smith has played, with the right-hander showing off his between-the-legs 'draw' shot on more than one occasion - including in a Test match against New Zealand.

"That's something I've worked on a little bit in the nets," Smith added.

"When the time's right and the field's right ... you don't think about doing it, it just sort of happens.

"Yorkers are hard to get away at the best of times so you've got to try and find a place to hit them."

It was the second memorable skirmish with an Australian batsman that Pakistan's fiery paceman Wahab has been at the centre of in an global tournament.

In March last year Wahab and Shane Watson were locked in one of the 50-over World Cup's most memorable duels with the Australian surviving a searing barrage of short-pitch deliveries at Adelaide in Australia's quarter-final victory

WATCH: Wahab v Watto in World Cup epic

Smith also played down concerns over the injury that saw him return to Australia early from the Indian Premier League.

"I've just got some bruising," Smith confirmed. "I think it's called a bone edema (swelling within the bone).

"I've always said I want to be 100 per cent fit when I'm playing for Australia so I got myself back here and a bit of rest is doing it good."

Smith had scored his first Twenty20 century for new franchise the Pune Rising Supergiants before leaving the IPL and said there was no danger of him suffering burnout from playing and captaining in all three formats.

"I'm still only 26 at the moment, so hopefully I've got a fair way left to go in my career," Smith said.

"I guess everyone's different, the way they operate, and at the moment I'm going okay. I don't feel burned out at all."

Smith and Wahab will have the chance to resume their battle when Pakistan head down under this summer for a three-Test summer that will include a match under lights in Brisbane.

WATCH: Re-live the first day-night Test

Smith said las summer's inaugural day-night Test was "an amazing spectacle" but improvements were needed.

"I thought if there was two millimetres less grass (on the pitch) it would've been a four-day game instead of a three-day game," Smith said.

"The ball still has got a few issues. You need to keep grass on the wicket to keep the ball together, which I don't particularly like, but we're trying to work our way though that as much as possible to make sure we keep it going."

Cricket Australia is still "optimistic" negotiations with counterparts in South Africa will result in the Proteas agreeing to a return of day-night Test cricket to Adelaide in November.

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