Steve Smith hits back at Peter Siddle's comment post Dhaka Test defeat

Australian Test captain Steve Smith responded to the comments made by Peter Siddle on him being far-sighted and not concentrating on the present. Earlier, Smith claimed that he would want to win a Test series in India in the future. As a result, he went ahead with Ashton Agar as opposed to Steve O’Keefe who is in the Twilight of his career, keeping an eye on the 2021 tour.

Peter Siddle suggested that Smith should have been present in the moment rather than thinking about a tour four years hence and adding pressure to the players. Furthermore, Siddle claimed that the all important Ashes and many other series will be played by Australia in the interim and Smith should not have spoken his mind ‘out loud’.

“It’s four years until we next go to India which is always a tough tour for us and one that I particularly as captain want to win (at some stage) throughout my tenure,” commented Steve Smith lately. Smith, in response to Siddle, stated that their focus in on the tour that they are playing in and rubbished claims by Siddle.

“He can think that, but it’s probably not something that he should have said out loud. There is a lot of cricket to be played in four years. There is an Ashes series coming up where we will use a certain amount of players. There will be Test matches in the couple of years coming that will be just as important. It made it hard and it added extra pressure to the boys. Let’s just worry about the moment,” slammed Siddle.

Smith rubbishes claims made by Siddle

To which Smith hit back by saying. “Peter Siddle’s entitled to his opinion but I never think that we’ve looked too far ahead and not concentrated on this tour, that’s for sure. We always focus in on the tour that we’re playing in. At times you also have to look a bit to the future and look at guys that we think can play a role,” revealed Steve Smith according to cricket.co.au

“I was pretty open when I said Ashton Agar’s a player that we think has a bright future and needs to get some game time in these conditions. “There’s nothing like playing in these conditions. I was open about that. “I don’t think at any point we really said that we weren’t concentrating on this tour. I don’t think that was ever the case,” concluded the all format Australian captain.