VIDEO | Steve Smith entertains crowd and frustrates England with ridiculously animated 'leaves'

If you showed a video of Steve Smith bat to someone who doesn't watch cricket and tell them that he's the best Test cricketer in the world, chances are that they won't believe you, laughing the suggestion off, interpreting it as a joke. But we, who follow the sport closely, know that the sheer absurdity of how he goes about his business is the primary reason for his success, be it the way he shuffles across the crease or the way he lets the ball go.

Today, walking in to bat at 60-2 which soon became 71-4, Smith found himself in a familiar position of having to do the job all on his own, with dark clouds, overcast conditions and floodlights assisting the pace bowlers. The New South Welshman knew that with rain around the corner, all he needed to do was survive, and hence he did exactly that - but with an added twist to it. 

As Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer continuously kept moving the ball away from him, the right-hander started letting the ball go the keeper, but in the process, pulled off many a funny movement with his body. Noticing what was going on, Sky Sports, the official broadcaster, showed a montage of his "leaves", which almost gave away the impression that Smith was playing Fruit Ninja and not cricket. 

The postures and movements created by Smith could probably be fit right into a war film, by just replacing his bat with a sword.  But above all, this just proves the fact that one can go about their business in their own quirky way, but in the end, the only thing that matters is the end result, and as long as you succeed, no one will bat an eye.  

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