Following on from his reviews of 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, Gary has picked out a few moments to savour from 2019
By Gary Naylor for the 99.94
Cricket Blog
It was one of the all-time great performances. Steve Smith scored 144 and 142 in his first Test back after the ban, his mastery of the art of batting complete: the contemptuous pushes and clips to rotate the strike; the boundaries striking a tattoo on the boundary boards as the acceleration towards a winning position inevitably came; the Bradmanesque stats stacking higher and higher. If you couldn’t admire the skill – some, unaccountably, still can’t – the will was undeniable. This is what greatness looks like.