Australia’s star batter Steve Smith is delighted with getting rid of 'Mr. Fix-it' tag as the team prepares for the three-T20I series against Sri Lanka.
The T20I series will get underway on Tuesday (June 7) at R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Colombo.
See Also: Sri Lanka announce playing XI for T20I series opener against Australia
"I'm pretty excited that tag's been taken off, to be honest with you," Cricket.com.au quoted Steve Smith as saying.
"Diva (stand-in coach Michael di Venuto) actually told me the other day ... he said 'we're getting rid of that tag, that's gone. Just go out and play freely. If you want to smack your first or second ball for six, go for it. And I'm like, 'yeah, that's cool," he added.
"So now it's just about going out and playing freely and trusting my instincts, which I think I've done well over any format for a long time, instead of being a bit more reserved and trying not to get out, which I don't think the right way to play T20 cricket. They've got rid of that 'Mr. Fix-it' tag," said Smith.
Steve Smith, who used to play the role of an anchor previously, stated that he was not as aggressive and free-flowing as he can be.
"When I'm playing the role that I was picked to play previously, you're not as aggressive or free-flowing as you could be," he said.
"Then you see guys like 'Maxi' and 'Stoin' behind you and you suddenly feel pressure to turn the switch on a straightaway. That's not the way I'd generally play the game. ... When I'm playing well, I'm just hitting the gaps really nicely, I'm not trying to over-hit the ball. I'm just playing what's in front of me, not thinking too much about getting out or letting the team down," he added.
Taking about his head injury, Smith said: "It's a weird feeling - the room starts spinning and I generally throw up straight afterwards."
"I'm just really crook and trying to align my eyes back to normal. The way they've fixed it is (a doctor) does a thing called the Epley manoeuvre ... it hopefully flushes the crystals back to where they're supposed to go," he further said.
"I have had a couple of episodes of vertigo that have tended to come a few days after I've hit my head. It's certainly not a nice feeling, I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. Fingers crossed no more head knocks, hopefully, I've seen the last of them," he added.
Australia XI for first T20I v Sri Lanka:
Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Josh Hazlewood
(With ANI inputs)