Former Australia coach Justin Langer was rendered speechless by a moment of baffling cricket from England's Jamie Smith on the fourth day of the Sydney Test, a dismissal branded 'completely brainless' by critics.
A Costly and Bizarre Shot
The incident occurred on Monday afternoon at the Sydney Cricket Ground. With the peerless Joe Root cruising at the other end on 129, wicketkeeper-batsman Jamie Smith, on 46, aimed an aggressive shot at a bouncer from part-time spinner Marnus Labuschagne. The ball skewed off his bat to Scott Boland at deep cover, ending a promising innings at a critical juncture.
The timing was disastrous for England, coming just before the lunch break as Australia hurried through overs to access the new ball. Smith's exit exposed a new batsman, Will Jacks, to the fresh cherry immediately after the interval.
Pundits Unite in Criticism
The poor decision-making drew immediate and fierce condemnation from former players. Langer, who coached Smith at The Hundred's London Spirit, expressed his disbelief live on air.
'I'm speechless,' Langer told TNT Sports. 'In that circumstance leading up to the new ball... that's what Marnus Labuschagne is going to do. It's just beyond comprehension. If I'm a Test batter, fighting for my spot in the team, fighting for some pride for England... I just don't get it. That was rubbish.'
Ex-England seamer Steven Finn, also on TNT Sports, labelled the shot 'completely brainless', while former spinner Graeme Swann called it a 'barnstormingly bad decision'. Test Match Special's Jonathan Agnew stated it was 'one of the worst dismissals I have ever seen'.
Root's Defence and Smith's Struggles
Joe Root offered a defence of his partner's intent, if not the execution. 'We're trying to move the game forward all the time,' Root explained. 'When it doesn't come off, it can look a certain way... As a batter, your job is not to survive, it's to score runs.'
The dismissal capped a difficult Ashes series for Smith. Despite a brilliant 184 against India at Edgbaston earlier in the year, his average in Australia has slumped to 20.5, with this 46 being his second-highest score of the tour.
England were eventually bowled out for 386. Australia, led by a Travis Head 91, closed day four on 168-4, trailing by 218 runs in the final Test of the series.
