Steve Smith hit a stunner. Then the sandpaper jokes started
Playing for Welsh Fire in the Hundred overnight, Smith carved a sublime lofted square drive from the bowling of England seamer Josh Tongue that flew flat into the stands at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
The shot drew awed responses from a raucous crowd and broadcasters, but not so much from the Hundred's official social media accounts.
On Instagram, the competition posted a picture of a damaged white Kookaburra ball with the caption 'How did Steve Smith damage this ball?'
While the post allowed viewers to swipe to see Smith's shot off Tongue, the comments were inevitably spiced with replies of 'sandpaper' and 'same old Aussies, always cheating'.
Since the Hundred's inception, its social media accounts have tried to earn a reputation for edginess, as has become the custom among numerous sporting competitions in Australia and around the world.
But the Smith jibe is a reminder that this is the year of an Ashes bout, during which Australia's vice captain can expect more reminders of the infamous events in Cape Town back in 2018.
Smith's comeback summer in England in 2019 was one of the greatest Test series performances, with 774 runs in four Tests and twin hundreds at both the Edgbaston and Old Trafford matches – he missed Headingley with concussion after being struck on the back of the head by Jofra Archer at Lord's.
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