Australia captain Tim Paine hailed Steve Smith as the best player he has ever seen after the star batsman picked up the man-of-the match award following victory in the fourth Test against England on Sunday.
Smith scored 211 and 82 in the game to take his tally for the series to an astonishing 671 runs at an average innings of 134.2, including three hundreds, despite missing England’s one-wicket win in the third Test at Headingley with concussion.
Paine said: “Steve is the best player I have ever seen. He showed that again in this Test match. He knows the game so well and reads it so well.”
Australia coach Justin Langer also hailed Smith, who tops the global Test batting rankings after returning from a 12-month ball-tampering ban.
“We’ve got the best fast bowler in the world (Pat Cummins) and the best Test batsman in the world,” he told Sky Sports.
“I thought Virat Kohli was the best batsman I’ve ever seen because of the way he plays in all forms, but Steve Smith… That’s another level.
“He’s a great problem-solver. His hunger for the game, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
