Superstar Steve Smith was fed up with fast bowling tactics that left batsmen with few scoring options and called for a rule change.
Cricket: Robert Craddock believes Steve Smith may have played his last T20I for Australia and is unlikely to be included in the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The first of two Test matches against New Zealand begins in Wellington on Thursday, with Smith continuing to start for Australia.
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The 34-year-old played an encouraging innings to take an unbeaten 91 despite Australia's loss to the West Indies last time out.
Short pitch bowling has been a hot topic going back to last year's Ashes series, with some quick bowlers regularly using the tactic against lifeless decks, particularly on the leg side.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Smith felt the tactic could give umpires more power to call wides, leaving batsmen with few scoring options. .
Steve Smith spoke about the repeated short balls in Test cricket. (Photo by Paul Ellis/AFP)
This has been likened to the infamous “body line” tactic used against Don Bradman's Australian Army team in 1932-1933.
“I think there could be a slight change in the rules in terms of the ball falling to the leg side when setting up the field,” Smith said.
“You can't hit the ball anywhere in front of the wicket. It feels like a (left-arm) spinner comes over the wicket and gets booked on the leg side and starts going wide.”
“If you are consistently bowling the ball in that area under your feet, you should see a similar ruling against spinners, if that makes sense.
“Basically, you bowl once or twice, get a warning and then get called wide.
“It can certainly be difficult to get that catcher in position.
The veteran will aim to further solidify his place in Australia's pecking order. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
“The only thing I want to see is that if you down leg too much, you can't really score anywhere else and all the fielders are there. That's what I don't care about seeing. That’s the only change.”
The call comes in the wake of Neil Wagner's impending retirement from the Kiwis team.
Wagner used effective short-pitch bowling during the 2019/20 series in Australia, dismissing Smith four times in five innings.
Smith stopped short of suggesting Wagner had played a trick, but the 107-Test veteran paid tribute to the departing 37-year-old's skills.
“At the end of the day, what Neil has been able to do is great skill,” Smith said.
Wagner announced his retirement on the eve of the series. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
“The way he can consistently get the ball between his throat and chest height and not bowl two (allowed bouncers) over and just keep going at it.
“It's a good skill, but it can be difficult, especially for players who pull the ball.”
The first tests are scheduled to begin at 9am (AEDT) at Wellington's Basin Reserve.
Australia captain Pat Cummins has named an unchanged squad from the side that drew in the recent series against West Indies, but the hosts are yet to announce the names of their squad.
Australian team: Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
