Yeh chot World Test Championship final ke dauraan lagi, jab woh slip mein Temba Bavuma ka catch pakadne ki koshish kar rahe the. Ball haath se takrai, aur ungli ekdum tedhi ho gayi. Socho, itna bada player, itni chhoti si chot, aur ab West Indies ke khilaaf Test series ka sapna adhoora sa lag raha hai
Yeh Australia ke liye ek bada jhatka hai, kyunki Smith na sirf unka sabse bada batsman hai, balki fielding mein bhi ek jaadugar hai. Par thodi der ke liye socho, yeh West Indies ke liye kya mauka hai! Unki team, jo aksar bade teams ke saamne chhoti pad jati hai, ab ek kamzor Australia ke khilaaf apna jadoo dikha sakti hai. Yaad hai 1984 ka woh lamha jab West Indies ne Clive Lloyd aur Viv Richards ke dam par Australia ko unke hi ghar mein hara diya tha? Us waqt koi nahi sochta tha ki Caribbean ke yeh ladke itna bada uflat macha denge. Aaj bhi Shai Hope, Jason Holder, aur Andre Russell jaise khiladi West Indies ke liye wohi karishma kar sakte hain.
Ab thodi si ummeed ki baat karte hain. Smith ki chot buri hai, lekin cricket ke itihas mein aise kayi khiladi hain jo aisi choton se wapas aaye hain. Yaad hai Matt Kuhnemann? Isi saal Big Bash League mein uski bhi ungli mein aisi hi chot lagi thi. Emergency surgery ke baad woh Sri Lanka tour par khelne utar gaya, aur woh bhi ek spinner ke roop mein, jiska batting par zyada bhar nahi tha. Smith ke liye shayad yeh thoda mushkil hoga, kyunki uska ballebaazi Australia ke liye dil ki dhadkan hai, lekin agar woh jaldi thik ho jaye toh West Indies ke bowlers ke liye bura sapna ban sakta hai. Aur agar Smith nahi khel paya, toh West Indies ke liye yeh ek sunehra mauka hai apne aap ko saabit karne ka. Unke paas ab bhi woh jazba hai jo 1970s aur 80s mein unhe duniya ka sarvashreshth team banaya tha.
Lekin akhir mein yeh bhi sochne wali baat hai ki cricket ek aisa khel hai jahan chot aur badkismati hamesha ghoomti rehti hai. Smith ke saath yeh pehli baar nahi hua. 2023 mein bhi uske wrist mein chot lagi thi, aur woh South Africa tour se bahar ho gaya tha. Ab West Indies ke khilaaf series shuru hone mein bas do hafte bache hain, aur agar Smith nahi khela toh Australia ka middle order ekdum khokhla sa lag sakta hai. West Indies ke liye yeh mauka hai, lekin kya woh iska fayda utha payenge? Ya phir ek baar phir se Australia, Smith ke bina bhi, apne backups ke dam par Caribbean team ko rula dega? Bas yeh sochkar dil thoda sa baith sa jata hai ki itna bada mauka bhi shayad West Indies ke haath se fisal jaye.
