Australia's Steve Smith on Tuesday acknowledged that he hasn't performed up to his usual high standards this year. Despite being an integral part of the Australia team that retained the Ashes and secured victories in the World Test Championship and the World Cup, the star batsman admitted to a dip in his form.
As the 34-year-old gears up for the first Test against Pakistan in Perth starting on Thursday, he reflected on a demanding year of cricket. While Smith maintains an impressive average of 58.61 with the bat in Tests, securing a third-place ranking in the world by the ICC, he faced a downturn with averages of 37.30 in the Ashes and 29 in the away series in India.
